Carambola
by Isehart
Summary: A cursed king whose lost everything and a boy who befriends a cat.
1. Dewdrop

In a small province there was a beautiful sprawling village ruled by a tired and bored monarch whose castle oversaw and encompassed a giant lake, the main water source. The monarch loved water and thus during a large drought coveted it more than gold and only handed out the bare minimum that would keep his subjects alive. He cared not for their concerns, or that they were too weak to work and that the land fell into ruin. The people who were strong enough packed up their measly belongings and left in the night.

Within the castle it was a paradise. The grass was lush, the trees bountiful with fruit, and the lake full. The king would swim for hours in the water, safe within his fortress, unaware that only the dead and dying lived outside his walls.

One evening, many months after the villagers had fled, the king settled down to dinner when there was a knock at the door. The king tried to ignore it but the knocking echoed through the empty halls like thunder and refused to be ignored.

* * *

Exhausted from school and practice, Makoto walked home at a zombie pace. He stifled a yawn waiting for the light at a busy crosswalk when he felt something bump against his leg and looked down to see a black blur dart out into the road only to stop as it heard horns. Without a second thought Makoto rushed after it scooping up the creature and sliding to the other side of the road in a harsh roll. He breathed heavily as he scrambled up onto the side walk, hearing the curses from the drivers that went past. He felt a pain in his chest and looked down at the creature in his arms, a black cat with matted fur and blue eyes had it's claws stuck into Makoto's chest and was a stiff as a board.

"Hey. It's okay. Are you hurt?" Makoto asked as he was buffeted by people trying to get past him as the lights turned green again. He gathered his bags, held the cat carefully, and walked to a safer spot, wincing as he felt the claws dig into him more.

He sat on a bench under some trees at the edge of the park and petted the cat. It's eyes stared straight ahead, unblinking, its back was arched and stiff, hair standing on end. Makoto could feel its heart pounding.

Remembering that his mother always packed him snacks, Makoto riffled through his bag and broke open a packet of jerky. The sound of the bag opening caught the cat's attention and it loosened its grip on Makoto's chest in order to pull out a piece of jerky. While the cat chewed at the jerky like a dog with a bone it looked up at Makoto, relaxing on his lap and studying him with a piercing gaze.

Makoto kept petting the cat and eventually the cat closed its eyes and laid down chewing at the food.

"See, you're okay now," Makoto murmured.

The cat purred and they sat until the sun began to set. When Makoto's phone went off, he realized how dark it had gotten and quickly issued an apology to his mother, carefully dislodging the cat and placing it on the bench next to him.

"I've got to get home, I'm late," He said before leaving the cat another bit of jerky.

The cat sat on the bench and watched Makoto run off, before grabbing the jerky in its mouth and chasing after the tall boy.

* * *

In the middle of the night Makoto felt like he couldn't breathe. There was something on his chest and he began to panic. He didn't want to open his eyes, too scared he'd see something bad. He tried to calm his heartbeat but it just got worse the more he tried. He could feel it moving. He felt something rough and wet touch his nose and his eyes flew open in panic and a shriek escaped his throat. Startled blue eyes looked at him and he watched the cat recover from his scream, shaking it off and acting unconcerned by looking away.

"What?" Makoto said rubbing his eyes. "Wait, are you the-You are, you're the cat from earlier!"

The cat curled back up on his chest and Makoto groaned. "You're making it difficult for me to breathe while I sleep." He sat up, dislodging the cat and moving it to the pillow next to him, "I'm not going to even ask how you got in. We'll deal with it in the morning, but I've got to be able to breathe while I sleep. So no more laying on my chest as I sleep, Okay?"

The cat just flicked its tail in response.

* * *

Makoto hadn't expected his mother to be okay with a stray cat suddenly staying at the house. She just made Makoto pay for everything with his saved allowance. The twins loved it, loved that the cat would run past them on the counter and pause briefly to lick their cheek before running off pretending it hadn't had a moment of weakness. They would spoil it with treats when they thought no one was looking. The cat relaxed into their lives pretty quickly. It would wake Makoto up in the middle of the night, suffocating him by falling asleep on his face, instead of his chest. It would knock Makoto's glasses off the bedside table and then dart through the house in the dark only to come flying right back into bed like it was being chased by a demon. It would climb into anything and everything whether there was water in it or not. Makoto had left a pitcher of water out one night and awoken the next morning to the cat having curled up in it. It seemed to be drawn to water.

"What will we name it?" Ren and Ran asked after their parents had said they could keep it.

"I don't know."

"Dewdrop!" Ran said, "He's always in water."

Their father laughed, "Dewdrop is pretty peaceful for a chaotic cat."

But it stuck. Makoto sat on the floor, facing the couch with a cat toy eyeing Dewdrop, the black cat with blue eyes that seemed ancient and wise, too human. He felt like Dewdrop was not the right name for the creature before him. He could feel the name on the tip of his tongue but couldn't quite figure it out.


	2. Castle Dreams and Superstitious Extremes

Makoto sunk into the bath, enjoying the warmth on his tired muscles. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply when he felt something brush his hand. He looked over the side of the tub and watched the black cat, the strange black cat that always was watching him jump up onto the edge of the tub and dip it's paw in the water, blue eyes never leaving his.

"What are you doing?" Makoto asked sitting up.

Dewdrop flicked water at him walking from the edge of the tub onto his knees then using them as a diving board and doing a small lap in the warm water.

"Most cat's don't like water," Makoto stated with amusement.

Makoto, unable to coax the cat out of the water settled for having to share his bath with Dewdrop. He was getting use to the lack of privacy, even if it was sometimes annoying. He couldn't go into the bathroom without Dewdrop following. He couldn't play video games without the cat in his lap. He couldn't eat his cereal without having to hold it off the table and eat it like he was in a contest. He couldn't use the computer without the cat sitting on the keyboard, or do his homework without Dewdrop sprawling on top of the books or paper, swatting at his pencil, pen, or highlighter until it went flying into the dark void behind his desk or under his bed. Makoto had gone through more office supplies in the past month then he had in all his years of schooling.

When Makoto went to drain the tub there was a flurry of black fur and blood in the water. Makoto pulled his hand back holding it close to his chest. "Fine, okay," he said before drying off, bandaging and cleaning the cut, and dressing. Leave Dewdrop to swim around in the bathroom as long as he wanted.

Some evenings when Makoto had friends over Dewdrop would sit at his side and when he wasn't paying attention would be on his lap or licking his hand. It was almost like the cat was jealous. But Makoto dismissed the idea. Some of Makoto's friends Dewdrop tolerated, others he hated. Kisumi couldn't get out the door fast enough for the cat. Usually with angry red lines on his arms. If Makoto had spent the day with Kisumi, Dewdrop would come up sniff him and then angrily stalk off, facing the window and tail flicking back and forth in quick agitated motions.

* * *

Makoto dreamed, when he could and when it wasn't of him drowning in an ocean of black fur, it was of a beautiful castle. He always heard a voice and would settle down in front of a fire as a man with sharp teeth told him a story. Sometimes the man would lead him around the grounds, with the air of a disappointed father. Shaking his head from time to time as he told his story.

"A long long time ago," he'd begin, "there was a king who held great riches but none greater than a monopoly on water. His greed nearly killed his subjects and isolated himself. Eventually he was all alone. No family, no friends, no servants or subjects, just him and his prized water."

His voice would fade out and the man would disappear. Makoto would find himself in the courtyard walking towards the lake when a voice would call out.

"You! Get away!" A young man, barely older than Makoto, in what was once kingly attire would say coming from inside at a fast pace. His black hair would be in disarray. His clothes dirty and torn, it looked like he hadn't changed in months.

Makoto would hold up his hands, "I'm sorry. I've gotten lost," he would say.

The man would glare at him, look him up and down then scoff. "It can wait," he'd say before sitting in a well worn chair over the lake, his feet sinking into the water.

Makoto would move near cautiously. It felt dangerous, but he'd sit in the grass and look out at the water. They would sit there for what felt like hours, the king forgetting he was there. It was peaceful. And as the atmosphere relaxed Makoto would study the man. He was beautiful, underneath his lack of self care. Then a knock would sound and Makoto would disappear. He'd observe but he couldn't interact. The king tried to ignore it but the sound, the echoes of the knocking would become too loud for him to leave alone. Sometimes he'd be swimming and would just dive deeper in the water to drown it out. Makoto would find himself underwater, able to breathe and enchanted by the life in the water, jellyfish that didn't sting, fish that glowed and sparkled. But the knocking would make it's way into the water, louder and louder till Makoto felt like his ears would bleed.

The man would grumble and curse and make his way to the front door and throw it open, with his best how-dare-you-i-will-have-you-beheaded look to find a small red headed girl dressed in rabs sobbing at his doorstep. She'd cry and say how her father was dying and all he needed was a little water, just the smallest dewdrop to live.

The King would blink, surprised and then would laugh. "A dewdrop?! Wait then until morning and there will be plenty of dew drops for your father. Go away and take your noise with you!" He'd say, turning and slamming the door.

Makoto would get a glance in that moment of the land outside of the castle, even Makoto could tell there was no chance of even the slightest precipitation to save the girl's father. But the man never looked at the girl, never looked past her at the state of things. He'd head back to his lake but the door would burst open with a gale and the small girl would be there rubbing her eyes and sniffing as a taller man with red hair would walk in, he didn't say a word just tapped the king on the head and he'd disappear in a puff a smoke.

Makoto always woke up with tears in his eyes. He sniffed and felt a rough tongue on his cheek. Dewdrop would wait until the moment Makoto felt he was okay before whacking him in the face with his paw and darting off.

After having Dewdrop for several months Makoto got use to things he hadn't expected to. Like having to check his laundry basket for a black cat that buried its way underneath. After starting the washer having to dig out the wet cat before closing the lid no matter how much he protested. He couldn't set a glass of anything down unless he wanted it to be knocked over or broken. If he didn't get the hints that Dewdrop wanted to go outside or was hungry he was to expect to be rudely brought back to attention, by scratches, bites, or a paw to the face. Makoto's only defense to keep his glasses safe and to be able to sleep without a flying cat running around on him was to fill the bathtub before going to bed. Sometimes in the middle of the night he'd wake up to a cold wet cat in his bed, but it was always a calmer cat. Cat nip was a nightmare and should never have been tried out.

If he spent the night anywhere else his siblings and parents would relate how Dewdrop had cried at the door when he didn't get home on time. He'd whine to be let out, would run around the yard in a panic smelling the air and meowing. When giving up and coaxed back inside he'd drag different things of Makoto's onto his bed and sleep inside his pillow case. When Makoto got back Dewdrop would come running with a chorus of meows. Makoto would sit down in the entry way since there was no way to get any further. Makoto would explain where he'd been and why and apologize for worrying Dewdrop, as the cat ran over him checking for injuries. Once assured Makoto was home safe and sound the cat would stalk off and ignore Makoto the rest of the day. After the 4th time Makoto always called home and his parents would set the phone next to Dewdrop who would meow in response to whatever Makoto said. It helped a little. This never happened with anyone else.

In the afternoons Dewdrop would ask to be let out and would disappear all afternoon just to be back in time for Makoto to get home from school. They were never sure where Dewdrop went until Makoto passed the cat on his way home.

"You should be careful Makoto with Dewdrop. He's a black cat," Rei said.

"You're not being superstitious are you?" Makoto asked.

"No, of course not. It's just that because these superstitions exist people can be cruel. A lot of black cats are killed, especially around Halloween or Friday the 13th. You shouldn't let him out as often as you do. You can't always trust people."

"You're joking right?"

"He's not. There have been all sorts of stories about people hurting pets. I was reading this story yesterday where they were putting blades in apples and feeding them to dogs. And more people like dogs then they do cats. So you can only imagine what they'd do to cats, especially one like Dewdrop," Nagisa said.

Makoto shuddered.

"Plus, if he trespasses and ruins anything or scratches anyone they could demand you have him put down, or they might just kill him themselves."

"But what if he's protecting himself?"

"Doesn't matter and with his better-than-thou personality around anyone other than you and your family he's not going to win over many strangers."

"Wait, isn't that Dewdrop?"

Makoto looked where Nagisa was pointing and saw Dewdrop, blue collar that had been a pain to get him to wear, standing on a fence, at eye level with a bizarrely dressed red haired man. Dewdrop's back was arched and he was hissing, paw swatting at the man.

Makoto felt a cold rush of panic and ran forward, feeling sick. With everything Rei and Nagisa had said a million different terrible thoughts rushed to his mind. He had to hurry before Dewdrop hurt the man. Makoto grabbed Dewdrop off the fence, pulling the surprised cat into his arms.

"I'm so sorry!" Makoto said "Please don't hurt him!"

The man lifted his sun glasses and looked Makoto up and down with red eyes. He grinned a sharks grin, "Your cat?"

"Yes! I'm sorry."

"Don't worry I won't hurt your cat. What's his name?"

"Dewdrop"

The man let his sunglasses fall back over his eyes as Rei and Nagisa grabbed Makoto by the arms to pull him away.

Makoto looked down at the cat in his arms, tears welling up in his eyes as the panic subsided. "You've got to promise me," Makoto said, "You won't get yourself in trouble and get yourself killed."

Dewdrop looked up at him, head tilted to the side studying Makoto, pushing himself up and looking over his shoulder at the laughing man before licking up one of Makoto's salty tears.


	3. Nine Lives Nightmare

The king-turned-cat looked up at the man with red hair and a sharks smile. "A dewdrops' worth of water is barely a rain drop. It could have saved lives," he said picking up the cat by the scruff of the neck, "Come with me Haru."

The king struggled in his new form against the grip around his neck. "Listen, your highness," he said climbing out to the castle wall to over look the lands. "What do you see?"

Haru didn't respond.

"Nothing. You're right. There is no life in your kingdom. Because of you. You have no people. Because of your greed people have died. Outside your palace is a desert. The forest, the grass, the land, it all turned into a desert. It is death. This is your fault."

The pain around the king's neck loosened and suddenly he was falling. There was pain. Momentarily. When he awoke he was back inside near his lake. He went running, feeling it was all a dream. A nightmare. He couldn't understand why he was so close to the ground, why it was so hard to run, he kept stumbling, when arms picked him up.

"One down. Eight left," the man said walking the cat to the lake and with one quick jerk he pushed Haru below the surface and held him there, waiting patiently until the movement stopped.

"Seven."

* * *

The red haired man haunted Makoto. The fear of someone killing an innocent cat, someone's pet, was horrifying. Now that he was aware of it, he felt paranoid for his furry friend. Dewdrop seemed aware of the unease and would sit for hours in Makoto's lap. To be fair, Makoto was aware that the man might not have killed his cat, but the fact he could have, the fear he could have overruled that bit of common sense.

The castle in his dreams seemed to be effected by this unease. It was crumbling and Makoto couldn't get into it anymore. Instead Makoto would find himself in the village, a ghost town, running from house to house to look for any life at all. He'd upturn the whole house, the layers of dust were undisturbed and sometimes his heart would leap when he turned around and see foot prints only to fall when he realized they were his own. He found dead bodies. He'd open doors and they'd be slumped against the walls, or curled up in beds, a few looked alive and he'd rush over to check, only to run screaming from the house. He'd run and run, crying to the castle and bang on the doors, knowing that there was life on the other side. He'd slam his fists against the door hearing it echo, hoping the king would come and open the door soon before he joined the dead and became a ghost, his body turning to dust.

* * *

Makoto liked to spend his Saturdays with Dewdrop. After one weekend where Dewdrop snuck into his bag and Makoto found him hours later meowing out of hunger in the middle of a movie theater, Saturdays were now their day. Makoto would wake up and Dewdrop would already be waiting in a bag, tail swishing excitedly. Makoto would laugh, scoop up the bag and receive a lick on his cheek. Their walks were peaceful. Usually they'd go to the fish market and Makoto would buy mackerel. Makoto would always ask for a small bit to be cut off and Dewdrop would eat it happily.

Dewdrop had shown an affinity to it early on. Makoto had found him one night after midnight, after waking up to strange sounds in the kitchen and finally talking his knocking knees into the thought it was only the wind outside. Instead he found Dewdrop on the counter, frozen with mackerel hanging from his mouth leaning over a pan, the stove on. Makoto just sat down and Dewdrop went back to cooking. Eventually Makoto got up and helped flip the piece of fish, got down a plate and helped Dewdrop put it onto a plate. The cat sat across from him on the table eating the cooked mackerel before nosing a bit for Makoto. It was delicious. Makoto was still 90% sure it was a dream. Cat's don't cook. And if they did they surely didn't cook well. Now if he heard something in the kitchen he just buried himself further under his comforter.

They'd walk down to the docks and Makoto would buy ice cream and snacks that they'd share. They'd wander the coast and Dewdrop would chase gulls and fight with the tide and crabs. Sometimes Makoto would bring a blanket and he'd sit and read while Dewdrop played. Dewdrop usually ran up to him throughout the day to escape the heat, sprawl out next to him and drink water. He'd shake off all the sand and deposit a defeated crab on the blanket next to Makoto or curl up on his lap and shake off seaweed. Sometimes he'd bring a fish to snack on that he'd caught or he'd have a snail stuck to his head that would, after a nap in the shade, slowly peek it's head out of it's shell, look around and then crawl off. Makoto would take thousands of photos.

One afternoon, while doing homework under an umbrella on the blanket with his feet bare Makoto heard a cry from the water. A kid was on the shore yelling and pointing. In the water he saw a black blur getting dive bombed by gulls.

"Hey!" Makoto called tossing his book aside and taking off for the dark water. He rushed into the waves, swimming out to Dewdrop and swatting away the gulls that gave up as soon as something bigger showed up.

Dewdrops' fur was matted with blood but he seemed perfectly fine. Dewdrop let out an appreciative meow and purred as the water pushed at them. Dewdrop turned and swam back to shore. Makoto went to follow when something tugged at his leg pulling him below the surface. Seaweed had tangled and wrapped around his ankle and he struggled to break the surface and get another breath before being pulled again. As he fought with the weeds around his leg he found it harder and harder to get back to the surface, they were dragging him down with the current. His lungs felt like they were on fire, everything was quiet, and peaceful and dark. He saw someone swimming to him. A boy with blue eyes and black hair, he worked quickly freeing Makoto. Makoto felt lips against his, air rush into his lungs and a whisper in his mind. "You've saved me time and again. My life is yours, Makoto."

Makoto broke the surface like a cork and swam back to shore, breathing heavily, coughing up water on the sand. On the shore he looked for Dewdrop with a sinking heart and the boy who'd saved his life. There was blood on the beach but no cat, no boy. He called for Dewdrop, got the help of nearby families and called out until his throat was raw and his voice was hoarse.

"I leave you with one last life Haru. The world has changed vastly. I doubt you've learned anything in your eight lives. But if you don't use this last life for good. To help others you will die a cat, forgotten on the side of the road. This is your chance to redeem yourself. For there is a lot of blood on your hands. You are no king in this time or place. I will be watching," the red haired man with a sharks smile said setting the black cat down on the sidewalk. The black cat ran, bumping against the leg of a brunette with green eyes, into the road.


	4. Hot Chocolate in a Frozen World

The castle was empty. Makoto felt empty. He was tired. He was numb. He felt hands on his shoulders, on his arms, trying to pull him back, to hold him still. But he had to keep looking. There's no way some tiny cat could just disappear. He understood that a cat, a black cat, versus the ocean wasn't favorable for the cat. But this was Dewdrop. A cat that refused to let him bathe alone. A cat he had adorable photos of with soap bubble hats. A cat with claws that fought things bigger than itself, whether it was the vacuum or the mastiff down the street. Makoto had one Sunday evening, gone outside to find Dewdrop fighting a big owl that was trying to enjoy the bird bath only to be chased off by Dewdrop who refused to share the water. Only for a few months later the two to be begrudgingly sharing it.

One early evening on the beach with Nagisa and Rei following at a distance he saw a young man on the beach, tall, lithe, lightly tanned skin, and he looked familiar, but his head was covered in a big floppy hat. Makoto didn't know why, but he rushed forward, stumbling in the sand, righting himself and nearly falling at the man's feet. The man was standing on the shore looking out at the ocean with a heavy feeling of melancholy. He wore sunglasses despite the setting sun.

"Makoto!" his friends cries were heard as Rei and Nagisa made their way over the sand dunes towards them.

"I'm sorry," Makoto said getting up quickly and dusting himself off, it wasn't the right man. For just a second it looked like the young man from his dreams, the one who freed him in the ocean. The young man he didn't tell anyone about.

The man turned to him, red messy hair sticking out from under his hat. He looked at Makoto, or Makoto assumed he was looking at him, it felt like he was being studied. Uncomfortably, as if this man could see everything, could see into his soul, could see beyond the bags under his eyes, the panic, the selfishness, the desperation.

"Makoto," the man said tasting the name on his tongue, like it was an old memory.

"Uh, yes. I'm sorry I thought- I don't know what I thought," Makoto murmured backing away from the man.

"Ah, yes, the boy who cried when he saw me near his cat...Dewdrop was it? A delightful name," the man said with a sharks smile.

Makoto felt his face flush, he'd forgotten he'd cried in front of this stranger. The man laughed before turning back to look at the ocean.

"Tell me Makoto, where is your Dewdrop?"

Makoto crossed his arms as a cool ocean breeze came in and shuddered, "I can't find him."

"You can't?"

"I can't."

The man turned back to him, looking at him over his sunglasses and placing cold hands on his shoulders. "Then, come, tell me everything. Maybe I can help."

Makoto frowned and turned towards where his friends were rushing through the dunes to catch up with him, only they were gone, no one else was on the beach and as he looked out on the water the waves didn't crash on the shore. The sky was a dark pink and blue and gulls floated mid flap over the sea.

"I-" Makoto murmured eyes widening, heart pounding in fear, mouth going dry. He had to be hallucinating, he hadn't been getting a lot of sleep lately.

"Come along Makoto," the man said taking his hand, his hands suddenly warm. "We have much to discuss."

Mokoto followed, looking around and taking everything in, a hermit crab running away from a gull, claws up, like it was running and screaming, the gull with it's beak open. They climbed through the sand dunes to a beach house. The man opened the door and ushered Makoto inside.

"Please sit," the man said motioning to rocking chair before disapearing into the kitchen.

Makoto sat down and looked around. The house was the oddest hodge podge of things and styles Makoto had ever seen. Three of the chairs looked like art pieces, with print throws and wind chimes made of hollow bones and sharks teeth on rainbow strings. Plants grew in the windows and on the glass table that looked like a coffin. A fire was going in the fire place and little ornamental gnomes and gargoyles stared at him with judging glittering eyes. Books filled the shelves, over flowing and cold forgotten cups of tea and coffee sat on top of a tv and underneath the couch. It looked like all decades of style and fashion that had been forgotten found a home here. Makoto sat down in the rocking chair carefully, concerned it would just move on it's own and send him flying.

"Here."

Makoto looked up at the red haired man who'd hung up his hat and taken off his sunglasses to reveal red jewel like eyes. He put a mug in Makoto's hands and sat down on a chair shaped like a high heel across from Makoto with a mason jar filled with a blue liquid.

Makoto looked down at the brown steamy liquid in his hands, sniffed it and took a tentative sip, the man laughed. "It's only hot chocolate, you're favorite correct?"

Makoto coughed, "How'd you know?" he asked when he could breathe

"I know a lot of things, now tell me about Dewdrop and then I'll tell you a story. Deal?"

"Uh, sure." Makoto said drinking his hot chocolate, it tasted warm and fruity but chocolate-y. He set it down on a stack of papers that towered precariously near him and told the man about the feisty possessive somewhat jerk of a cat he saved in the street, who disappeared in the ocean one day.

"That's not everything is it?" the man said when Makoto had finished, frowning and leaning forward.

"I don't know what you mean."

"When you 'drowned' how did you get out?"

Makoto blushed remembering the soft lips on his own, "I don't know whether I believe what I saw, a young man dove in and saved me, but I didn't see him afterwards, so I'm not sure."

"What did he say?"

"I don't understand what he said, I haven't ever seen him before, he was familiar but not anyone I've met. But he said 'You've saved me time and again. My life is yours, Makoto.' We were in water, you can't talk in water."

The man laughed, "You can't talk in water, this man doesn't exist, cat's can't cook. What is it that you believe Makoto? Do you believe nothing? Then how do you explain what you see? How do you explain your dreams? Do you just believe you are going insane? It must be a boring life if you don't believe in miracles or magic."

Makoto sighed and drank his hot chocolate, "Just tell me the story you wanted to tell me, whoever you are."

"Rin. My name is Rin. And really you know most of the story."

"I do?"

"Of course, we've met before Makoto, many times. Many nights."

"I'm not sure what you're talking about," Makoto said, feeling uneasy by the piercing gaze.

"When I was little I lived in a small town. I had a loving family and a best friend who was a bit higher class than I. But it was the kind of place that didn't care. He was groomed to lead. And that's what he did. He went from prince to king. Every spring he invited the people into the castle because over the large lake was a cherry tree and everyone would go swimming in the cherry blossoms. It was the best festival our land had and people from all over would travel to be a part of it.

He would sneak out into the villages and towns and visit with the people, he'd run from his handlers and keep an eye on everything. If asked he could tell you the names of every single person within his land and he even had sketched them all into a big leather bound book with little tidbits, like when they were born, what their favorite foods were, their hobbies what they were upset about. It was a peaceful kingdom. He was loved. He wasn't good at expressing his emotions but the people knew he cared, there was always a gift for every birthday. He met with other dignitaries and monarchs from all over and it was peaceful, he had many allies.

When I got older I met with a traveler and with the blessings of my family I went on a journey to become a scholar and to learn new trades. Everything was fine until war broke out. One of our kingdom's allies lived far off in the dessert and when the King heard of the crisis he left our lush oasis to find out what had happened, when he returned he was changed, different. It was slow at first, forgotten birthdays, no one saw him walking the towns or villages any more. Then he locked himself in the palace, dismissed everyone in his service. When spring hit the castle didn't open up. The people got worried but when they tried to confront him they were met so harshly they gave up and with heavy hearts packed up and went away.

Some people were very naive that he still cared and that he would come back to them again. They ignored everything. They sat out the desertification of the land. The rivers dried up, the ponds, the lakes, the trees turned to dust, fields and crops withered away. People starved but they held on.

One day after many arguments between our family my little sister fled the house to ask the monarch for just a little water. Our father was sick and stubborn. I was still away on my journey and when I returned my sister was alone, sitting in the ruins of the house, almost wasted away like our parents. I had plenty of previsions that my friends had given me for my return home and spent many weeks tending to my sister, the last of my family, before she had the strength to tell me what had happened. I rushed into the castle, and confronted the King who showed no repentance, no care of what he had done. He didn't care that we had been friends, that the people that had died had been the people who taught him to swim, that his negligence had left my sister and I orphans. I had checked every single house, like you yourself did, but not a single soul beyond my sister survived. So I choose to show him the error of his ways, to extract revenge for all those who died believing in him. I cursed him, with 9 lives and over the centuries took away those lives. Dropping him off here and telling him he had one left, one last chance for redemption."

"I had dreams like the story you told. Where a man with a sharks- wait, that dream was real? What does this have to do with my cat?"

"Your cat was the king. Dewdrop, the king who wouldn't spare even a dewdrop's worth of water to save his people, my parents."

"My cat is a cursed king?"

"Yes, your cat is my cursed king. I've been keeping an eye on him and his progress. Haru's changed a lot in these last couple of centuries. But repeated murder and torture probably didn't help. I think he learned, and that you helped."

"I helped? How could I have helped? He's gone!"

"Makoto, calm yourself. Everything is coming to an end, just like your average fairy tale. Would you like some more hot chocolate?"

"I think I need a moment."

"Oh, of course. I have some errands to run anyway. Just stay here, don't leave the house, it's a bit unstable if I'm away." Rin said, gathering up his sunglasses and hat and leaving out the front door into darkness.

Makoto picked up his mug, got up and looked through the books on the shelves, some he could read the titles, others every time he tried to read or understand them, like a thought on the tip of his tongue, it changed, static in his mind. Getting a headache from trying he sat in front of the fire which danced in a rainbow of colors. He sighed and rubbed his head, it was too much. His cat, the one that slept on his face every night, that tried to eat his cereal with him, was a king. A king, the beautiful disheveled king that he dreamed of every night, bathed with him every day. He felt heat rise to his face and shook his head and let out a groan. It was Dewdrop's last life. He wasn't coming back.

He looked into his mug, at the brown sludge at the bottom.

"Hey! That's the best part!"

Makoto jumped, the mug went flying, and a young women with long red hair and a smile on her face reached out and caught it as if he he'd tossed it to her. She leaned forward, her nose touching his.

"Oooh, you must be the guy brother is stalking."

"What?"

"Rin. He brought you here right? Brown hair, green eyes. Tall, muscular but like a bit of a scaredy cat. Rin talks about you a lot. You took in his majesty didn't you?"

"His Majesty?"

"A black cat?"

"Dewdrop?"

"Yes! That cat. I laughed so hard when brother told me you named him that. And, well, then I cried," she said softly plopping down on the couch which was a vibrant orange and turquoise.

"So it's all real?"

"Yup. Brother's super powerful after all these years and a ton of practice. He learned from the best, and has made it his mission to try and get the King to redeem himself or die. It sucks because the king use to visit for every birthday I ever had growing up, but over the last couple of centuries instead he's just peed on my stuff."

"Well he was cursed to be a cat by your brother."

"He's the reason our parents are dead, that our hometown is unrecognizable, and most of our friends are also dead."

"Right. I'm sorry for your loss."

"It's been several centuries, I'm mostly just bitter about it now."

"Well, he died saving me."

"What? Really? That's new," She said scooting forward curiosity sparkling in her eyes.

"I think so." Makoto said, eyes stinging.

"Oh!" She said jumping up and running out of the room. She came back with a box of tissues and a tub of ice cream with two spoons. They moved to sit across from one another on the shag carpet with the ice cream on top of the glass covered coffin table. She listened to him and looked at the pictures of Dewdrop on his phone, laughing at each ridiculous or cute photo. "If he wasn't so evil, I could see him being a sweet pet."

"He was sweet, mostly, for me and my family," Makoto said eating another scoop of chocolate ice cream.

"I'm sorry. It's hard. He almost sounds like the way he was. And that's just difficult. Like why should he be nice now? Nice to you, a stranger, when we, the people he grew up with he filled our lives with terror? It's not fair," she said.

"I wish I could just talk to him about it. There has to be a reason."

"Maybe. But he never offered an excuse or reason."

"He was a cat."

"Yeah, but him and Rin talked all the time, or argued I guess."

"I shouldn't be surprised," Makoto murmured into a bite.

"Ooh! Wait!" she said jumping up and running off. When she came back and plopped on the floor she held out a can of whipped cream. "I love all of the food you have now. I mean whipped cream in a can? How cool is that! Put some ice cream on your spoon!" she said, waiting as he complied and then drowning it in white cream and holding out a hand to stop him from eating it before quickly doing the same to hers. Makoto tried to steady the melting ice cream and it's towering white mountain.

"Cheers!" she said tapping his spoon and sending him rushing forward to catch it in his mouth with a sound of surprise and panic, ending up with whipped cream on his nose. She laughed, setting her clean spoon in the ice cream container with a grin, completely free of whipped cream and chocolate.

The door opened with a creak. "Gou! What are you doing? Don't hassle him."

"You're home earlier than I expected, brother," Gou said with a frown.

"Of course, I remembered I forgot and left you here, with him."

"And that causes you to come running in as if you left the oven on and heard the fire alarm going? I'm not a baby you know. I can handle myself. Besides we're just eating ice cream"

Rin walked over and sighed leaning down and wiping the whipped cream from Makoto's nose and licking it off his finger before sitting down between them.

"I'm not worried about you Gou, I worry for him. I know how you are with well toned men."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Gou asked.

"Pardon me," Rin said lifting up Makoto's shirt. Gou's hands flew to her mouth and her eyes went wide and she leaned forward to get a closer look. Makoto turned cherry red and Rin let the edge of the shirt drop from his hands.

"Gou," he said snapping his fingers in front of her face. "This, this is why I can't leave you alone with young men like Makoto."

Gou pouted, grabbed the bag Rin had brought in with him and left with a huff. Rin sighed and looked at Makoto, "Maybe I should take you home".

"I-I'd like to go home," Makoto managed, folding his arms across his chest.

"Let's walk, okay?"

Makoto nodded.

"I'm going to walk Makoto home, I'll be back before midnight Gou!" Rin called grabbing a magenta and brown coat and holding it out to Makoto. "It's cold."

"What about my friends? They were walking on the beach with me."

"They're sleeping, to them, chasing you on the beach and watching you disappear with a strange man is only a dream."

Makoto shrugged on the jacket which was as soft as a cloud but hard to look at. They walked along the frozen beach, the sun having set and the moon coming up with the stars. The hermit crab was long gone as were the gulls. Makoto felt like he should say something, anything, but his heart wouldn't stop pounding. What could he say to the man his cat tormented and whose parents died because of? A man who in return had killed his cat, eight times? Who'd spent centuries exacting revenge. There were no greeting cards for that. Makoto shivered, he could see his breath in the still air before him, it turned to glass and fell on the sand. Rin removed his leopard print scarf and wrapped it carefully around Makoto's shoulders as they made their way up the steps.

"Don't be too worried. I won't hurt you Makoto. I'm very tired. This is your house, is it not?" There was sadness in his smile, pain.

Makoto looked up, the lights were off but the white stray cat was sleeping on the fence and the owl was sitting in the bird bath, too big for it, puffed out to intimidate, eyes wide and unblinking, even creepier in the dead of night and frozen.

"How'd you know where I lived?" Makoto asked.

"Gou told you, in her way. I think the word she likes to use is, stalking. I suppose it's true."

"Why?"

"To see how Haru interacted with you and your family. I was surprised how quickly he almost lost his life and how fast he warmed up to you. I felt like it had to be a facade. Some sort of intricate move, we've been playing this game for a long time. But he wasn't. He seriously felt at home here. Did you know that he and the owl argue? It's hilarious. And he says the dumbest things when you don't come home on time. He curses, it's so colorful and crude at the same time. I've asked him why but he nearly clawed my eyes out," Rin said walking to the door and pushing it open.

"You still care," Makoto said following.

"Maybe, it's a melancholy feeling. To see him how he was but knowing nothing is the same. All I ever wanted was to understand and an apology. I never wanted to be the villain in some fairy tale, but if that's what I've become I suppose I just wanted a happy ending."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Makoto said.

Rin smiled and ruffled Makoto's hair. "You are a good person Makoto. Risking your life for some strange creature that runs across your path. I've watched you long enough that I have plenty of proof of this kindness in your soul. You, at the very least, should be happy."

They stood in Makoto's bedroom. Makoto yawned, walking to his bed and sitting down, his eyes felt heavy, he could hear Rin still talking but it felt like it was coming through a tunnel, he couldn't keep his eyes open and he felt himself lying down. Right before he fell asleep a few words made their way through and settled as he headed off to a peaceful dreamless sleep.

"I gave him 9 lives Makoto. I lied, I only took 7."


	5. Lullaby of Distant Dreams

The moon was full, the waves were calm, gentle, and Haru stared up at the stars, counting them. He floated atop the waves. He'd redeemed himself, and the afterlife was beautiful. Quiet, peaceful and full of water. He couldn't believe he'd redeemed himself. Maybe he hadn't. Maybe this was his punishment. To find someone and then loose them.

In the years past whenever he was let loose in the town, it was as if everyone knew. Knew he was cursed, knew of his sins, that every step he took was a paw print of blood. He'd had plenty of time to think about it, and everyone made sure he knew. Children would catch him in the streets and cut off his whiskers, tied cans to his tail. They didn't care if he scratched them. There was always something. It didn't help that he was a black cat. Whenever he crossed any adults path they'd kick him like a football. He knew better to ever take a treat from a stranger or ever trust them. But with Makoto...

That was different. No person in all of his lives had ever risked anything for him. Especially no one who didn't know him. Those who did, knew better. For millennia he just felt filled to the brim with poison and it was gone now. It'd been slowly disappearing within the past couple of months. It'd been too long since he'd been in a loving home that he'd almost forgotten what those were like.

A family, whole, happy. Parents, alive, caring. He adored Ren and Ran who never tried anything to hurt him. For children they treated him with the utmost care, as if he were some priceless heirloom. It had been so shocking. And Makoto, Haru pushed as much as he could but he never once got upset at Haru, even when Haru scratched him. Haru always regretted hurting him.

Haru sighed, took a deep breath and sunk. If it was a choice between Makoto and Haru, that was an easy choice. He'd done plenty of reading while Rin and Gou weren't looking. He new he could trade one of his lives to save someone else, there just was no one he'd wanted to do that for before. And this had been his last life, there was only a few he would even consider having done that for now. He missed Makoto, it couldn't have been long, but he didn't know, maybe he'd been gone forever. He missed his smile, the way he would hide when scared, his green eyes, his fingers running through Haru's black fur.

The water sparkled with bubbles, fish swam around him, he felt like he was swimming in the sky, in space. As he let go of the bubble in his lungs and shut his eyes he felt a violent rush as he was pulled from the water.

"This? This is why we're here in the middle of the night? Can't this just all be done?"

"You know very well that it's not done. I had plans. Lots of plans and he ruined them all."

"They weren't good plans."

"They would have been magnificent."

"Just let it go. That would have been the last one."

"No. I have to see his face. Haru~ Wake up. You're not dead."

Haru opened his eyes, sat up and coughed up water.

"You've ruined everything Haru! Again!"

Haru rubbed his mouth, and shivered as cold air hit his skin and the voice grated on his bones. The boat rocked gently on the waves and two figures sat across from him. One big, one small.

"You," he hissed.

"You're claws are gone Haru," he said holding up his hands in front of him, "Afraid you can't claw me this time."

"Here," the other said taking off his jacket and revealing short black hair, blue eyes, and a muscular build, "No point in fishing you out of the ocean if you're just going to catch a cold and die from being naked."

Haru snatched it from his hands and quickly wrapped it around himself. "Why Sosuke?"

"Rin left you an extra life as a test. He lied," Sosuke said pulling out oars and beginning to row through the waves towards shore.

"Bastard."

"He could say the same thing about you."

Haru sighed and ran hands over his face, "You taught him well."

"I did."

Sosuke rowed in silence, Haru looking out over the water.

"You're just going to ignore me!" the other said standing, rocking the boat.

"Go away Kisumi."

"No! I'm not done with you yet."

"Not done with me?" Haru said slowly turning away from the water to face the pink haired man, "I should have clawed your eyes out."

"You ruined everything Haru. And now, you've ruined everything again. Why here? Why out of every where in the world and out of all the times did you have to pick here and now?"

"Not up to me."

"I thought you died."

"Not up to me."

"Why didn't you tell Rin?" Sosuke asked quietly.

"Why didn't you stop Kisumi?" Haru retorted.

Silence engulfed the boat until it landed on shore. Haru looked up at Sosuke as they stood in the sand, "What's the plan?"

"There is no plan. I'm sure Rin is looking for you."

"You can't go back to Makoto. He'll freak out and call the cops if a strange naked man crawls in through his bedroom window. Though it'd be fun to watch," Kisumi said with a laugh.

Haru punched Kisumi in the face. Kisumi stumbled, shocked, hands up to his face, as he fell onto the sand, blood streaming from his nose.

"I may not have claws Kisumi, but I'm not afraid to hurt you anymore. Don't go near or even say his name," Haru said then turned to Sosuke, challenging him.

Sosuke walked to Haru and buttoned the jacket. "This isn't going to end well. Go home Haru."

Haru nodded and turned, running barefoot down through the sand to the road.

"Sosuke! You can't be on his side!"

"I'm not on any side Kisumi, but you had that coming," Sosuke said walking over him and to a house on the edge of the beach to see an old student, leaving Kisumi bleeding and cursing on the sand.

Haru found it hard to walk again. He was so use a lower level of gravity and running on all fours. He was tempted to give up and try running the way he was use to but he feared scaring a little old lady and the attention of the police. As he struggled to run he tried to think of the best way to explain everything to Makoto. There didn't seem to be a good way to do it.

The house came into view pretty quickly. Haru saw the white cat sleeping out front and the owl eyeing him menacingly from the bird bath. The sky was filling with clouds and blocking out the moon. He made his way to a tree that had branches close to Makoto's window. He climbed carefully to the window that was open and slipped in, shutting his eyes and preparing for a scream. He was met by silence. He opened his eyes, looked around and saw Makoto was asleep, heavily asleep, the air was heavy. He shut the window, went through Makoto's closet and changed into Makoto's clothes. He paused and looked at himself in the mirror, leaning close. He hadn't seen himself in centuries. It was like looking at a painting, he hadn't aged. He tapped at his neck, the cat collar was still there, he'd pretended to hate it as a cat, he hated the name, but it made him feel like he finally had a family again, a home. It was his prized possession, his only possession, though it was awkward to have now. But he had never thought he'd be human again.

He winced and looked down at his feet, cut and bleeding. He quickly made his way into Makoto's bathroom to bandage them up before creeping into the hallway, the twins were sleeping peacefully, so were Makoto's parents. No one and nothing else was in the house. He checked the locks on all the doors, windows, made sure they were shut properly. The plus to being a cat for centuries and living in the house for months meant he could walk without a sound. No one would be getting in.

After opening the fridge and helping himself to a bit of leftover mackerel, he made his way back to Makoto's room. He locked the door and the window. He crawled over Makoto careful not to touch him or put any weight on him to wake him up, carefully peeling back the covers. Thunder crashed and lightning lit up the room, causing Haru to freeze, hovering over Makoto, hoping he wouldn't wake. He didn't, his sleep too deep, to odd to be normal. Haru curled up under the blankets next to him, propping his head up on his hand. He had no need to memorize anything, he'd already spent many nights doing that. Instead he noticed the worry in Makoto's face, the concern. He felt a pain in his chest, knowing this was his fault. Another tally that weighed against his karma.

"I'm sorry Makoto," he whispered, gently reaching out to touch Makoto's cheek, he hummed, quiet lullabies from his own distance dreams, dreams that had been happy and light. The rain came down in a downpour, washing away his bloody foot prints.


	6. Forgotten Carnival

When Makoto awoke the next morning he felt somewhat balanced but empty. The sunlight filtered in through the window and the house was quiet. He noticed that he was wearing his pajamas and blushed at the thought that Rin had to have changed his clothes after he passed out, but then calmed himself. Rin had magic abilities, he probably did it with the flick of his hand, he had no reason to waste actual energy changing Makoto's clothes as he slept. It was nice that he'd done it though. He sighed and rolled over, not wanting to get up or out of bed. He met blue eyes that were watching him, black hair and soft looking skin. Around his neck was a familiar collar engraved to say "Dewdrop". The man held a finger to his lips, there was a mixture of sadness in his eyes but his lips curled just a little into a smile.

Makoto stared at him, speechless.

"Haru?"

"Makoto."

Makoto sat up quickly, Haru's voice sending a shiver down his spine. Haru took a deep breath and sat up as well, he reached out to touch Makoto's hand but stopped and let his hand fall into his lap. Makoto recognized his own clothes covering this Haru's frame, Makoto's shirt was too big.

"I want to talk. I've wanted to talk for a long time, but can we, just spend the day together?" Haru asked quietly. "Before you make any decisions can we just have one day?"

Makoto nodded, "What do you want to do?"

"I've been a cat for a very long time, I've seen everything from a very different way. So anything? Everything? I'll tell you whatever you want to know at the end of the day. Deal?" Haru held out his hand.

Makoto took his hand and nodded, "Deal."

Makoto slid out of bed and went off the bathroom to get dressed. While he was gone Haru went through his closet looking for smaller clothes, fingering the collar, then carefully taking it off and sticking it in his pocket. When he was done he sat on the edge of Makoto's bed and waited, pant legs rolled up since Makoto's pants were too long for him.

"Ready?"

Haru nodded and followed Makoto to the front door. The house was still asleep.

"Do you want to eat here, or out?" Makoto asked.

"Out," Haru said, looking around uneasily.

They made their way to a small brunch restaurant that wasn't packed yet. Haru looked over the menu, finger running over every word on the laminated menu and brow furled with concentration. Makoto had to send the waitress away several times. Eventually, finally, Haru made a choice and they ordered. The air smelled heavily of coffee, like a layer of dust in the air. Haru ordered salmon and eggs on a bagel and Makoto ordered chocolate french toast.

Their brunch was quiet but comfortable. It was too loud as the brunch crowd filled in for them to easily converse anyway. Haru ate like he hadn't in ages and they stole glances of one another between bites. Haru tried a little coffee when the waitress offered some and after a tentative taste and a decent amount of creamer he downed it in a gulp.

"There's a carnival in town," Makoto said pointing out a poster on a board after paying.

"I haven't been to one as a human," Haru said rubbing his bare neck.

"But you went as a cat?"

Haru nodded and followed Makoto closely down the street taking a peppermint Makoto handed him from the brunch restaurant. Their hands brushed against one another often. The carnival was easy to spot with the noise and the large ferris wheel. It was next to the fish market near the dock.

"Do you want to ride some rides?" Makoto asked, quietly. Haru was pressed close to him, looking around wide eyed.

"Yes."

They rode in a tea cup, Haru spinning it often and quickly, smiling, a soft small smile as they whirled around, enough to make Makoto stumble and have to hold onto the gray fence as they exited the ride. They rode roller coasters, Makoto holding onto the safety bar for dear life and tried fried foods and flavored banana cream pie milk that was a carnival special. Eventually Makoto stopped leading and followed Haru from ride to ride. They rode on the carousel picking out a pair of beautiful horses. Haru smiled and Makoto couldn't stop staring at him. Eventually he started sneaking photos. They played games and Haru, having finally become comfortable in his skin again, won price after prize until they both had stuffed animals, silk scarves, and one ridiculously large teddy bear to carry around. Makoto had tried and was decent at a dart balloon game, winning a small dolphin that he gave Haru. They went up in the ferris wheel, sitting quietly and comfortably, looking out at the carnival from above, their hands resting gently on top of one another, the giant teddy bear sitting across from them. As the sun went down and after a lot of laughter Haru pointed out the haunted house.

"After everything, there's no way that can be scary," Haru said with a smile.

Makoto turned pale and suggested they at least put their stuff in a coin locker. They had to rent a big one and Makoto apologized repeatedly to their stuffed animals as they stuffed the bear in. He looked uneasily at Haru as they stood before the haunted house, ducking behind Haru as the worker, an older man with a toothy grin punched a hole in their ticket.

"Are you sure?" Makoto asked, jumping, as the doors behind them shut and they walked through cobwebs. He shuttered as fake mechanical spiders ran around the webs.

"It will be fine, I'll be right here with you. Hold my hand, I'll keep you safe. I promise," Haru said with a confident smile then looked back at Makoto in the darkness, something ran over their feet and Makoto let out a scream and grabbed ahold of Haru, hiding behind him. Haru glanced at the robotic rats with glowing red eyes and then looked up at the larger teen. He smiled softly and took Makoto's hand in his own, lacing their fingers. Makoto moved close to him.

"If you want to close your eyes, I'll lead you through."

Makoto nodded and shut his eyes. Haru led him carefully past cackling skeletons that fell close to the walk way, and mechanical screaming ghosts and suits of armor that moved their rusty swords. After walking through a couple rooms it got darker, the black lights were switched out for flickering fluorescent bulbs and the rooms were creepier, with peeling wallpaper instead of the white washed stone. It was less easily to tell they were fake. The people reached out to touch them, fingertips brushing against the edges of their clothes, too close for comfort. They walked past bath tubs filled with blood and ladies with machetes, laughing. Past creepy looking children with smiles to wide and doctors with inaccurate but quite gory open victims. Haru quietly and carefully led Makoto through the house, his smile fading. Haunted houses shouldn't be this big. They should have been at the exit by now. He led Makoto carefully past to-real animatronics that removed their own heads with wide eyes and open screams and kept an eye on a shadow-y figure that had been following them since the rooms had changed.

"I don't like this," Makoto said softly, eyes squeezed shut but flinching at all the flashing lights and sounds that came to close.

The current room seemed to be on a higher level and was filled with rats that were eating, the sounds they made were wet and ripping.

"We're almost out. This isn't what I was expecting, don't open your eyes," Haru warned as they stepped around groaning, reaching for them, bodies and he guided him past a putrid smelling room. Outside it looked a lot smaller, the kind of house that only had a few rooms with bad animatronics and maybe one worker wearing a mask. But there were more figures following them and they'd been through seven rooms already. It was making Haru uneasy. The rats no longer looked robotic. He stayed on the path, kept going but the house didn't seem to end. He passed a window and outside it was filled with clouds and in the distance he could see the lights of the carnival. It was far away rather than right outside.

He stopped in the kitchen that smelled heavily of blood, and there were pots cooking and bubbling. Molding food on the table and worms wiggling through the fruit. A pig standing on it's hind-feet, wearing a blood splattered apron and wielding a clever was chopping mechanically and Haru refused to look too closely. He could feel Makoto shaking when the pig made a loud snuffling snort. His free hand was covering his eyes, to make sure there was no way he could see.

"Haru," he whispered.

"I'm here, Makoto. It'll be okay," Haru said pulling an empty stool from the kitchen table, brushing off dust and pulling it close. "Take a seat. I'll be right back I think we got lost. Don't open your eyes."

Haru said carefully helping Makoto to sit and turned him away from the chopping snorting pig before taking one of the silk scarves, twisting it and covering Makoto's eyes. He squeezed Makoto's hands reassuringly before walked towards the pig. He carefully took one of his sharp kitchen knives, studied it and frowned when he realized it was real. The pig was foaming at the mouth, eyes black and studying the meat before it. Haru walked to the swinging door, pushed them open, turned so he could see Makoto out of the corner of his eye and looked out into the long hallway with flickering lights. The walls were bleeding.

"Stop it," Haru hissed to the darkness.

"Stop what?"

"This isn't the haunted house."

"Yes it is."

"No it isn't. Stop it."

"I don't want to."

"Don't make me find you."

"You can't."

"Yes I can."

"If you leave Makoto alone you won't find him again."

"You wouldn't dare."

"I saw him first."

"Kisumi," Haru growled, "show yourself."

"Boo," Kisumi said coming up out of the wall with a grin. He held his arms out and laughed, "It's fun isn't it?"

"How is this fun?"

"Half of it's real, half of it's fake. Like that pig in there. It's real. It's literally a boar I found, a long long time ago that nearly gutted half of my hunt. So I took it home, cut off it's tusks and let it have the rest of what it started. I taught it how to cook and looked through old books to figure out how to give it some human help. Like how does a pig hold a knife? That took a lot of work and trial and error. But my favorite part of the kitchen is the pig's assistant."

"Haru?" Makoto whimpered.

Haru whirled around. Slime ran down Makoto's face and greenish black tentacles wrapped around him, lifting him from the stool. It moved quickly, up the wall, past the pig and towards a fire with a cauldron full of boiling liquid that splattered and made holes in the stone.

"Put him down!" Haru said, taking the knife and throwing it. It landed with a thud in the creatures head. It spasmed and fell from the ceiling, dropping Makoto. Haru rushed forward, slid over blood, stumbled, found his balance and caught Makoto. There was clapping and Haru turned angrily towards the cotton candy haired man who stood in the doorway.

"Nice catch," he hissed.

Haru fell in shadow and turned around to see the creature rising, black blood running down its face, searching blindly for them. Haru ducked to the side and stuck out his foot, tripping the creature and ducking behind the pig that screamed as acid splashed from the cauldron that the creature fell in on it.

"Let them out!" a deep voice boomed.

Kisumi frowned and looked at the figures coming out of the shadows then sighed, put his hand on the spice rack with jars of watching eyeballs on it and pushed it. The wall behind Haru opened and he ran through it, carefully carrying Makoto who held onto him tightly, breathing heavily. The squeals of the pig echoed behind them. The walls brightened with black light and the rats and spiders were robotic, the clacking of skeletons was mechanical. The doors opened and Haru rushed out, stumbling on the steps and sitting down heavily.

"You kids okay? You were in there a long time," the man punching tickets asked, glancing over at Haru who was taking off the blindfold from Makoto.

"Yeah, we just got a little lost," Haru said.

"Huh, I swear I sent some other kids in after you like a half hour ago. They said they couldn't find you. Nearly thought you'd disappeared and I'd have to shut it down."

Haru helped Makoto up and they walked towards a small picnic table next to the carousel. Makoto held Haru's hand tightly. Even after they sat down he didn't let go. Haru pulled some napkins from the dispenser sitting on the table and carefully removed slime from Makoto's face. There were red sucker marks on his arms and neck from where the creature had grabbed him. He was pale and shivering. His eyes were glassy like he was trying not to cry, his hand was cold and clammy.

"I'm sorry Makoto, that shouldn't have happened. It should have been dumb looking fake ghosts and fake blood and little skeletons that fall from the sides but won't come close to touching you," Haru said softly.

"What did you do to him Haru?" Rin asked sitting down next to them on the bench. Gou sitting across with a bag of popcorn and bits of cotton candy mixed in.

"Go away Rin," Haru hissed, holding Makoto's hand under the table tighter.

"I saw Makoto less then 24 hours ago, and you've been human what, for the same amount of time and look at him!"

"Rin-"

"No, Haru! No excuses! Look at him! Look what you've done to him. I've spent hours looking for you to prevent this type of thing. I should have taken away that last life so this wouldn't have happened. It would have been cleaner, instead you've done this to him. What are those marks on his neck? He didn't deserve this and you know that if you weren't involved he'd be living a perfectly normal happy life. Admit it Haru."

Haru growled at Rin, pushing him from the bench, he turned to Makoto, anger melting away and could feel him shaking, his eyes were distant, he was breathing hard.

"He's a bastard, but he's right. You wouldn't have been involved in that if not for me. I promised to keep you safe and I failed. You could have-you could have died. I can't have anyone else I love die." Haru stood, letting go of Makoto's hand and he turned and ran into the carnival crowd.

Gou looked at her brother who was slowly getting up from the ground and dusting himself off, "What are you going to do?"

Rin walked over and looked close at Makoto, sighed and ran a hand over his face.

"It'd be best to take him home and just erase everything from his mind," Rin said sadly, taking Makoto's cold hand in his own and rubbing his thumb over Makoto's knuckles.

"Everything?" Gou asked.

"Everything." Rin said.


	7. Tended Transmigration

The music of the carousel slowed to a haunted sound; the lights glowed, children grinned, it moved at a fraction of the speed. Rin leaned close to Makoto, holding his hand carefully and cupping the side of his face with the other.

"I'll fix this," Rin said, "It'll be all okay."

He studied Makoto, his skin tan from summers outdoors playing basketball and swimming, his broad build, his green eyes, distant. He brushed his thumb over Makoto's lips. Makoto smelled warm, like bottled summers. "You'll forget everything," Rin murmured, unable to take his eyes away from Makoto's lips, partially open, he leaned close, lips almost touching as he spoke.

"No," Makoto whispered.

Rin pulled back, unsure if he'd heard Makoto correctly. "What?"

Makoto blinked, blinked again and shook his head. He put his hand on the picnic table and stood. "No." he said firmly.

"He could take away all your pain, Makoto," Gou said looking up at him.

"I don't know what happened in there, I saw nothing, sure it sounded scary, felt real, but I know that Haru and I made a deal. He promised that at the end of the day we would just sit and talk," Makoto stretched out his arms, motioning towards the haunted house in the distance, "That, that is not enough to just erase everything. There's no reason for it. It's jumping to far to an extreme. So thanks Rin, but no thanks. This is not a reason to send anyone running, so if you'll excuse me I've got to go find Haru," Makoto said before heading into the crowd Haru.

Rin stared after him in shock, before sinking his head in his hands. Gou burst into laughter next to him as the carousel sped up again and the music resumed its cheery speed.

Makoto pushed through the crowds, looking at the top of heads for a black haired man. He checked all the places they'd had fun throughout the day but he wasn't there. It was like painful nostalgia and melancholy had already infiltrated those places that only hours before had been bright with their smiles.

"Makoto!"

Makoto whirled, looking for the owner of the voice and caught sight of a man at a basket ball game, holding a basketball against his hip, his jacket tied around his waist and cotton candy bright under the lights.

Makoto looked around quickly as he walked to Kisumi who smiled at him.

"I didn't know you were going to be here, you should have told me, we could have come together!" Kisumi said tossing the ball to Makoto.

"Hey, sorry, it was sort of a last minute plan. I'm actually in the middle of something so I can't stop and play," Makoto said catching the ball and handing it back to Kisumi.

"Oh come on! It's the carnival! I don't see you that often! You've been too busy a lot lately," Kisumi said with a pout, "Just one round, please?"

"Rain check? It's kinda time sensitive."

Kisumi sighed, tossing the ball behind him absently, it went in the basket much to the surprise of the worker who fished off a toy dolphin and handed it to Kisumi. Kisumi stuck it under one arm and frowned, before grinning as an idea came to him, "Hey! I'll just come with you! We can catch up as we go!"

"Uh sure, I mean I'm looking for something."

"Your cat again?" Kisumi asked with a deep frown.

"No- well, no. A friend of mine kinda just took off into the crowd, he's visiting and I don't want him to get lost."

"Oooh a new friend huh?" Kisumi asked with a teasing grin hooking his arm with Makoto's. "So now I have even more competition?"

"Competition?" Makoto asked distracted, searching the crowd, "Um he has short black hair and he's shorter than, well, both of us."

Kisumi frowned looking around, purple eyes searching the crowd, "You'll never find someone that short from the ground." He looked at Makoto who seemed to be taking his comment to heart and frowned, "Hey, Makoto, if he ran off into the crowd maybe he wants to be alone, maybe you should leave him alone."

"If it was someone else, then yeah, but no, I've got to find him."

Makoto felt Kisumi stop, pulling him to a stop too. Kisumi was looking at the ground. "Oh, Kisumi, this is my problem, there's no need for me to drag you throughout the carnival looking for someone, you should have fun! This isn't going to be any fun for you." Makoto said pulling his arm free, "we'll catch up soon, okay?" he said disappearing further into the crowd, not noticing the dying grass around Kisumi's feet, the glow in his angry eyes, or the bits of stuffing falling to the ground as he pulled apart the stuffed dolphin.

Makoto ran, darting his way through the crowd, looking from one raven haired stranger to the next in search of one that matched his friend. He found himself suddenly outside of the carnival, the air was cool and the fish market was closed but the smell lingered. The silence was sudden and shocking with the only sound on the dock the gentle waves and movements of the water. The dock was mostly empty except for a small figure at the end of the dock. With his heart pounding and reviving the energy he ran down the dock. "Haru!" he yelled.

The figure looked up startled, looked up and stood quickly, shedding his shirt and moving to dive into the water when Makoto caught him, sending them tumbling onto the dock.

"Stop!" Makoto said looking down at Haru who squirmed trying to get away.

Makoto waited until Haru stopped squirming and took a deep breath and smiled at him, "Haru, you made me a promise. You haven't kept it."

Haru looked away, "I know, I promised to keep you safe and I can't do that. I can't keep anyone safe."

"No, I mean you promised that at the end of the night you would talk to me, about anything, everything."

Haru's eyes widened and he looked up at Makoto. He lifted his hand and gently touched the red skin of Makoto's neck, where the monster had gotten him. "But-"

"You promised Haru, and promises seem to mean a lot to you, so no running away. Okay?"

Haru nodded.

Makoto sat up carefully and sat down on the dock, picking up Haru's shirt and holding it out to him. Haru looking up at the stars for a moment longer before taking the shirt, sitting up and putting it back on.

"I dreamt of you. A lot," Makoto said, then turned bright red and looking away, "I mean, you were in my dream like how you look now, well not how you look right now, you didn't look exactly like this, you weren't wearing my clothes. You were wearing clothes though! It was at a castle and your clothes were kinda ripped and dirty, oh there's no good way to explain this, it sounds wrong no matter what." Makoto said flustered, looking away from Haru.

Haru laughed softly, "I kinda hoped that would happen."

"What?" It came out as a squeak as Makoto turned to face Haru.

"I read that I could share my dreams or memories if I slept close to someones heart or mind while enchanted."

"Is that why you kept trying to kill me in my sleep?"

"You're response was fun, but it was mostly to share. I'm glad it worked, it'll make things easier. I assume you know a decent amount?"

"I've heard a side of the story, and witnessed some of it through my dreams."

"What do you want to know then?"

Makoto frowned, he didn't know what to say, his curiosity was intense but he also didn't want Haru to share anything he didn't want to share, "I heard Rin's side of the story. I know what happened, but I don't know why it happened or what happened to you. Something had to have happened, right?"

Haru sat back and nodded, "Rin and I, once upon a time use to be great friends. But that is nothing but a dream now."

He looked out at the ocean and sighed, standing up and taking Makoto's hand.

"I think it may still work, I haven't been human too long, let's find a safe spot to sleep."

Makoto turned bright red but followed Haru as they walked around the bright lights of the carnival and past the coast where only a short period of time ago Makoto had found himself sobbing on the sand, trying to ask strangers and families if they'd seen a small black cat wash ashore. Now the cat was a teen who was holding his hand tightly.

They made their way into a woods that was a part of the park, usually people went camping in it or had picnics or went for runs. It was quiet as Haru found a small clearing where they could see the stars but were hidden from late night joggers by the undergrowth of the woods.

"Go ahead and lie down," Haru said looking around, reluctantly letting go of Makoto's hand so he could get settled.

Makoto was surprised at how soft the grass was. His skin had been burning since they'd left the haunted house and it was cooling as he sunk into it. Haru stared at him, thoughtfully.

"How does this work?"

"It was easier as a cat, I just had to put all of myself either on your heart or near your mind, but like this there's more of me," Haru said thoughtfully. "Sleeping next to you did nothing."

"Take off your shirt," Haru said flinging his to the side and waiting until Makoto took his off, setting it carefully to the side. He frowned seeing the red marks that curled around Makoto's chest and waist and arms.

"I'm sorry," Haru said leanning down and pressing his fingers to Makoto's chest, "Does it hurt?"

"It burns," Makoto said looking at the marks himself, it was weird to know you've been hurt by something quite scary but having never seen it. He looked up at Haru and saw the emotions flickering through his eyes and quickly covered the hand on his chest with his own. "I'm okay."

Haru met his eyes, shifted his weight and laid down on Makoto, resting his head in the crook of Makoto's neck.

"Close your eyes, try to sleep," Haru said interlacing the fingers of the hand that Makoto had given him. "It should be quick,"

Makoto tried to calm his heart, breathed deeply and closed his eyes. It was hard, he was too aware of everything, his muscles too tense, he could feel everywhere Haru's body touched his, where their skin touched, the movements of Haru's breath on the nape of his neck, the beating of his pulse as it seemed to throb where their hands were, he felt like he was shaking with the beat of his own heart. Haru shifted and slid a hand into Makoto's hair, gently running his fingers through Makoto's hair. It was awkward but after a minute of not giving up at it, Makoto relaxed, sinking deeper into the cool grass, and enjoying the warmth Haru offered and the calming affect his fingers running through his hair had. Before he knew it he was asleep.


	8. The Bones Beneath the Sand

"Out of the way!" a tall black haired man with a crest with a fish pinned to his shirt said running down the halls, he pushed past Makoto, half turning and apologizing as he darted down the hall. He was followed by a huge crowd of women.

"Come on!" one of the women said with a smile grabbing Makoto's arm and pulling him along.

Makoto ran, not sure where he was going or why, not even sure where he was exactly. It took a couple turns until they were running through the courtyard with a tree full of cherries over a beautiful lake as the summer heat beat down. Makoto then realized he was back in the castle. It was clean and beautiful and so full of life that he didn't recognize it. Though all the life seemed to be running in the same direction, chasing after the black haired man.

After following the man through stairwells and from one end of the castle to the other, him picking things up along the way he began to slow down. He was balancing a water jug, a plate full of sweets and a book in his arms as he darted up the stairs. Finally it came to a sudden stop as he rushed into a room and a woman in uniform stopped them with a gloved hand.

"Captain!" the crowd whined in complaint but she shook her head.

Makoto stumbled out of the crowd. He caught a glimpse inside the room before she shut it, the man setting his things down and rushing to a woman with black hair and a pained smile on her face, covered in sweat. The shut door barely muffled the sound of her scream and Makoto sat on the cobblestone in disbelief. Eventually sounds of a baby were heard and he looked up and saw Haru, red faced and looking embarrassed, "Too far," he murmured.

Makoto stood and walked over to him. "So, that's you?" he asked with a grin.

"Yeah," Haru said not looking at him, "That's the previous King and Queen, my parents."

The door opened and Makoto turned, the King stood grinning in the doorway, a baby, remarkably small, held carefully in his arms. The servants rushed forward for a close look and the captain smiled looking down at the small baby.

"Boy! You there! Come look at your new prince!" the King called over the crowd motioning for Makoto to come join them. The servants pulled him in as they cooed over the small baby prince. "His name is Haru. Prince Haru," the King said softly with a loving smile on his face.

"Ah! Where is the palace painter? The Queen wants a small painting of the prince!" the King said. Servants scattered to help the painter gather his supplies and Makoto took the momentary chaos to escape.

Haru was standing, staring into the lake when Makoto found him. He was quiet and his face was dark.

"Haru?" Makoto asked reaching out for him.

Startled Haru looked up and took Makoto's hand, "Come, we should skip a lot, close your eyes."

Makoto closed his eyes and after a moment the castle fell silent and Haru let go. Makoto opened his eyes and looked around.

A young boy with black hair ran past Makoto and was scooped up into a woman's arms. "Now prince Haru, you have lessons to attend to,"

Haru frowned, "You said everyone has lessons, but he's just standing by the lake!" Haru said pointing at Makoto.

The woman glanced at Makoto then held her hand out to him, motioning for him to come forward, "He is merely waiting for you your highness, he will be joining in your classes today. You've kept him waiting."

"Really?" Haru said frowning and looking at Makoto who made his way near them.

Makoto felt uneasy under the woman's glaze and nodded, "Yes prince Haru,"

"Haru," he said flatly.

"Your highness?" the woman asked.

"If he's joining me for my classes, he should call me just Haru, no prince. Please put me down Captain." Haru said.

She sat him down carefully and Haru walked up to Makoto, he came up to Makoto's waist. And studied him, "How old are you? What's your name?"

"I'm 17. My name is Makoto, sir."

"Haru."

"Uh, yes, Haru."

Haru held out his hand, "Come, it's your first class. Captain, I'll show him to the classroom."

The captain smiled and patted Makoto's shoulder as he passed, her fingers digging into his shoulder as a warning Makoto understood too well.

As they headed towards the castle Makoto looked out for the Haru he knew but couldn't find him.

The teacher, an old man with curly hair didn't seem particularly surprised to see Makoto pulled along into the class. There were a couple children milling about. Two small red headed children seemed familiar, one Haru's age and a smaller girl. The red haired boy grinned up at Makoto, "You must be new, I'm Rin! This is my sister Gou!"

"We have a guest today," the teacher said, "his name is Sosuke"

They settled into their seats and a boy with black hair, walked in. He had a serious face but seemed surprised to see Makoto there. He frowned deeply and shook his head. He didn't waste any time before setting a huge dusty book on the desk and doing small magic tricks.

"Our guest is the youngest master of magic in the current kingdoms, a royal dignitary and he's currently looking for apprentices. He shall speak with each of you and check your levels of magic abilities. If you and your parents agree you will go with him on a journey throughout the lands and begin your training."

Sosuke studied each student before sitting amongst them and talking quietly. He took Rin's hand and looked into his eyes, then quickly let go and moved on. Rin frowned, disappointed. After checking each of the children he walked up to Makoto and took his hands. "You're not here. But you are here," he murmured. "This does not bode well. I can not see you too well. I look away and you are gone, but I look back and you are here. I can touch you. It is most strange."

Sosuke stepped back, studied Makoto and the class headed outside to try and show off their skills to the stranger. Haru took Makoto's hand and lead him outside.

"It would be so much fun to travel the world, don't you think?" Rin asked from Makoto's other side. "Traveling, helping people!"

"I think it'd be scary. What about all the monsters?" Gou asked.

"There are no such things as monsters. They're just stories."

Makoto took a seat under the cherry tree and watched the kids practice what Sosuke did, mimicking him. Rin was practically perfect, fired up about the prospect of traveling the world and magical powers. Haru looked bored and wasn't trying. Eventually he left the others and sat next to Makoto under the tree and watched them.

"You don't want to travel the world Haru?" Makoto asked.

"Rin wants this really badly. We had word about Sosuke's visit a couple weeks ago and it's all he's talked about since. He's studied hard, practiced hard. He deserves it. He should go. If I want to travel I only have to ask my mother or father."

"That's really nice of you Haru."

"He's my best friend. I would do anything for him."

Makoto smiled sadly watching the red headed boy with shark teeth run around.

"What is it you want to do Haru?"

Haru frowned, looking out at the lake, "Nothing."

A blast of fire and magic exploded and the air filled with shrieks of happiness as Rin danced around excitedly.

"My parents believe I am ready. I will be king within the year," Haru stated. He looked up at Makoto, "I don't want to be King. I don't want to be a prince. I just want to be free."

"Gather round! Sosuke has made a decision!" the captain called. Haru got up, dusted himself and moved with the air of someone very aware of the unwanted path they'd been put on.

"It was less than a year," Haru said from the shadows of the tree as Rin jumped around in excitement, dancing happily with Haru. "We should go," he said taking Makoto's hand. Makoto looked out at the children, Sosuke was staring at him, piercing teal eyes as the world faded into blackness and he found himself standing outside the castle.

"My parents left to travel and meet up with old friends. They were gone for 3 years. They wrote daily. Then suddenly it stopped."

A black haired teen stood before Makoto and with the help of the captain was preparing horses for a journey. The captain spotted Makoto and with a quick jerk motion to Makoto he rushed over.

"Help the prince prepare. We must leave soon if we are to get to where his majesties parents are."

Makoto helped tighten the straps and took in Haru. He was older and looked tired, but determined.

"Have you eaten sir?" Makoto asked.

"Haru," he whispered.

"When was the last time you've eaten, Haru?" Makoto asked softly.

Haru looked up, seeming surprised. "I'm okay. This is good, let's go."

Makoto frowned and darted off into the castle, from all his wanderings in his dreams he knew where the kitchen was and it was nice to see it bustling. Bread baking, fresh pastries set out, and stews cooking. He grabbed a meat bun and darted back out, chased out by the surprised shouts of the cooks.

Haru sat atop the horse and when he saw Makoto running he held out his hand and helped Makoto onto the back of his horse before taking off with his small entourage.

After Makoto caught his breath and stopped holding onto Haru for dear life he looked around and saw they were far from the castle and the kingdom and deep in the woods. He held the somewhat crushed meat bun out to Haru.

"Here Haru."

Haru took half of it and ate it. Makoto ate the other half, it was warm and sweet. They rode so long Makoto fell asleep. When he awoke he felt his skin burning and noticed they were in the desert.

"Somethings not right," the captain said pulling her horse closer to them.

"What do you mean?" Makoto asked.

"This use to forest and mountains," Haru said.

"Mountains can't just get up and walk away," the captain said.

They found the castle, weather beaten and worn down by strong winds to ruins. Haru jumped from his horse and took off into the castle. Makoto and the captain soon followed.

"Your majesty, please don't rush head first into danger."

"She's right Prince Haru. Though there's really only me here. What did I do to deserve this visit? I wasn't expecting you," A young man with bubblegum hair and a big smile asked.

"Kisumi, where are my parents? They were visiting you recently and then they left?"

"Oh! They're long gone. Come, relax, have something to eat."

"Your majesty," the captain said bowing to Kisumi, "What has happened to your lands?"

Kisumi shrugged, "I'm not sure. Come in Captain."

Kisumi led them through long echo-y halls and around shifting sands to a large dinning room. They took their seats in the dining room after dusting off the sand that shifted around the room. The table was set with a waxy banquet.

"It's a simple cooking spell, it keeps the sand off," Kisumi explained taking a seat at the head of the table. Makoto looked at the food, it looked like fake food he'd tried to eat as a kid at a elderly neighbors house. He remembered the taste and didn't ever want to taste that again.

Makoto stared at the head of the table at the calm bubble gum haired man. No matter how hard he looked it wouldn't change. It was Kisumi. The friend he'd known for years. He had so many questions bubbling up. Was his Kisumi some sort of weird descendent, a reincarnation, or was this the same Kisumi? And what did that mean?

"Do you know where my parents went when they left?" Haru asked, setting some waxy looking fish on his plate.

"I may have an idea your highness, but please, let us just relax and enjoy one another's company. It's been awhile since I've had guests. Please, go ahead."

Makoto eyed the fish and the vegetables before him. He took his knife and carefully tried to peel off the waxy covering, the captain bit into a chicken leg and coughed. She spit out sand that poured from the chicken. She knocked the fish out of Haru's hand.

"Don't eat it," she said.

Makoto looked at the fish, sand poured from it and it turned to dust.

Kisumi tilted his head and smiled, "Is it not to your liking?"

"Everything is filled with sand, there is no meat," the captain said standing.

"Ah, you are right. There hasn't been any meat for a very long time. All that is left in this kingdom is sand," Kisumi said with a sigh.

"Your kingdom is gone Kisumi, come stay with us," Haru offered pushing his waxy. sandy fish away.

Kisumi smiled and stood. "Oh, that would be wonderful."

"Why didn't you tell anyone that this had happened? We could have helped," the captain said.

The window opened and a wind blew through sending the sand dunes shifting and filling the air with a haze.

"Let's not stay in this room any longer," the captain said helping Haru out of the room, Makoto and Kisumi following, covering their nose and mouths with cloth. They made their way to the thrown room, half the ceiling was gone and the wind howled outside.

"What is this Kisumi?" Haru asked, noticing something in the sand and picking it up, it glittered and Makoto could make out a crest with a fish on it.

Makoto turned to look at Kisumi but he wasn't there.

"The royal crest his majesty wears," the captain said in surprise.

"Kisumi! Why do you have my father's crest?"

"Prince Haru, there's so much sand. So much stuff buried under all of it. I can't remember what's under every single pile. That would be so ridiculous. I only know what's in that pile, your majesty, and you really don't want to look," Kisumi's voice rang through the hall and they saw him in the corner pointing.

The captain and Haru walked over together, the captain shifting through piles and piles of sand.

Makoto lost track of Kisumi until he heard movement behind him, a deep sigh, "Oh, I'm so hungry. So much sand. No food. Just piles and piles of sand. I'm so hungry."

Surprised Makoto scrambled aside to see Kisumi, leaning heavily on a pike. He heard a gasp and looked over to see bright fabrics unearthed and pale bones.

"What did you do to their majesties?" the captain said turning to face Kisumi, furious. Haru fell to his knees in the sand in horror.

"I told you you wouldn't like what you saw under that pile of sand. There are more. I just can't remember who all is where," Kisumi said with a frown walking towards them and looking around. He took a deep breath. "I thank you for your offer to help. I'm so glad you came to visit. I've run out of meat, I'm so hungry. You will do just fine." He moved quickly bringing the pike down on Haru. Blood splattered on the floor.

"Run King Haru, run!" the captain shouted, shaking Haru from his stupor, her body shielding his.

"I wasn't expecting a volunteer," Kisumi said, removing the pike and watching Haru run down the halls.

"There's no need to run Haru! Everyone you love is here!" Kisumi called.

Makoto got up and followed after Haru, heart pounding in his ears. It was all he could hear, his blood rushing through is veins, echoing.

He found himself in a hallway with a balcony and saw Haru rush out into the sands, free of the horses were gone and so were the extra men. Kisumi exited the castle with a bow and arrow, stood on the front steps and shot. Haru disappeared into the sand.

Makoto fainted. When he awoke he was sitting in the dark, it was cold.

"Your land is still lush and beautiful, your parents went on and on about it. Do you know how it is to watch your whole land just crumble? No? It isn't fair. You should see what it's like. It teaches you whats important in life. Not your people, not your family, not your servants. It teaches you about you. See I'm not sure exactly how or why this happened, but I studied and I can replicate it. You're not going to like it. Not at all. For me, I have this gnawing in my stomach. It never goes away. No matter how much time passes or what I eat even if it's nothing but sand, bloody sand, it doesn't stop. I don't die. But when I eat something real. It's sated, just for one blissful peaceful moment. I eat everything I can. I'm not choosy. You can't be. Oh, you don't understand. Well just sit here, I'll come back right before you die of thirst or hunger and then we'll talk. While you wait I will eat. Now that you have brought me meat."

Makoto and Haru sat in the dark in silence for what felt like ages. He tried to leave, tried to make his way out, but there was no way out. Even if he passed out he couldn't go anywhere else in the ruins of the castle. Haru would watch him quietly. The sand became a second layer on them, it was all in their hair, there was no escape and sometimes it was sharp and painful. Eventually when Makoto couldn't cry anymore and Haru could no longer sleep but just sat against the wall breathing with his eyes shut the doors opened again and Kisumi came in.

"Prince Haru, are you hungry or thirsty?" he asked then knelt down and checked Haru. He poured a little water on him and Haru came to life lunging at Kisumi, knocking him over, stealing the water and drinking it all. Kisumi laughed, it echoed on the stone walls eerily.

"Go home Haru, all alone. Take with you the curse. A curse that will take away all the water from your land, your people. The fields will be dry up and turn to dust and soon so will your heart. When all is gone I will come for you."

Haru fled. Makoto stared at Kisumi who hadn't acknowledge his presence the entire time. Kisumi just laid on the sandy stone floor and laughed and laughed.


	9. Lost Down the Rabbit Hole

"I think you know the rest."

Makoto opened his eyes and sat up. Haru stood in front of him in the clearing. He'd put his shirt back on and Makoto's sat in the grass within reach, he shivered and quickly put it on before standing and walking towards Haru.

"Kisumi cursed you?"

"Yeah, luckily Rin's curse neutralized it."

Haru sighed and ran a hand through his hair, something he'd picked up from watching Makoto do it so many times as a cat. He felt arms wrap around him and pull him backwards. He felt something wet on his shoulder and turned to see Makoto crying.

"Hey" Haru said softly.

"I'm sorry," Makoto said rubbing his eyes.

"I'm lucky in a way," Haru said.

"How? With everything that's happened to you-"

"I never ate anyone. I may have caused deaths but that felt inevitable. Many more lives in my kingdom were saved then those in Kisumi's. Mine ran. They knew something was wrong and left. I didn't run out and hunt them down for sport or food. The curse stayed with me and by locking myself in my castle I didn't eat anyone. It's all I had hoped for once I realized what had happened. I do wish I could have at least gone back and buried everyone, my parents, the captain. I wish I could have brought them home."

Haru buried his head in Makoto's chest and held on to him, fingers digging into Makoto's shirt. His breath was uneven and Makoto held him close, resting his head atop Haru's.

"Stay with me," Makoto said after awhile.

Haru looked up in surprise, his eyes glassy.

"I'm sure I could talk to my parents and you could stay with me. I graduate in less than a year. I'll go to college and have my own apartment, you can come with me," Makoto turned red under Haru's gaze and he cleared his throat and looked away, "I mean, you are free now, you don't have to. Even if you want to just come and go. My place is always open to you. You're always welcome."

"I-"

"How cute."

Hands pulled Makoto away from Haru and he felt himself stumbling backwards into the bushes.

"I suppose you told him everything, your highness," Kisumi said with a mocking bow.

"Kisumi stay away from him," Haru said stiffly.

"No!" Kisumi said angrily, "It's not fair! It took a lot of work to get where I am today. A lot of work! I find my own happiness and you! You, who should have died a long long time ago. Who I thought was dead, you come back and ruin everything!"

Makoto tried to get out of the bushes but vines wrapped around his arms and legs, pulling him deeper into the plant.

"I ruined everything Kisumi? How?" Haru asked, glancing around him to see Makoto sinking into the Earth.

"Don't pretend you don't know what you've done! I was here first! I spent years cultivating my relationships here, and I was so close! Then you just swoop in and everyones eyes turn to you. Oh it's the prince Haru. He's so quiet, so sophisticated, everyone in his land loves him, he'll be the youngest king in history and he'll rule so well. Well you know it's easy to rule when your land is peaceful. When your parents and ancestors did all the heavy lifting, befriending and blackmailing all the other lands into submission to benefit you and your people. Why do you think wars were breaking out? Because all your family ever did was take and take and then flaunt off their 'friendships' in everyone's faces. Oh this kingdom is being so nice and then they'd ignore the kingdoms in need. Like mine.

"You're parents were well aware that my land was cursed. They knew, and they made sure it was the last one they visited. And I bet they wrote you saying how lovely it was. Of course it was lovely! To them! They're land was better. They're land was healthier. It made them feel better in comparison. To see poorer lands struggling was a 'rustic' beauty to them. I asked them for help. I begged them to just dip into their resources and get someone with magic powers stronger than my own to stop everything and you know what they did? They laughed. They said I must have been joking, nothing was wrong with my lands. So what if dust rolled through every once in awhile, it's just the nature of the weather. The beautiful mountains weren't shrinking I just was getting taller and so they seemed smaller. I screamed for their help, anyones help, and they just laughed and laughed until finally they started screaming too."

"What does that have to do with now?" Haru hissed, "I'm not my parents, I can't fix their flaws, they're long dead, you made sure of that."

"I would have forgiven you. Even when I saw you as a cat. It would have been fine. I wouldn't have ever bothered you again. But there's one thing you can't have. That I won't ever let you have. You have no right to just suddenly be happy again. Especially at my expense."

"What are you talking about Kisumi,"

Kisumi turned and grinned at Makoto and with a wave of his hand the ground opened up beneath the bush and Makoto and the plant disappeared into the Earth in the blink of an eye.

"Makoto. I won't let you have Makoto. You don't deserve him." Kisumi said looking over his shoulder at Haru, whose eyes were widened in shock. There had been no scream as Makoto disappeared. Kisumi laughed and Haru's shock disappeared and turned into a mix of rage and panic. He rushed towards the gaping hole in the ground but Kisumi clicked his tongue in disappointment and reached out and grabbed a fistful of Haru's hair, pulling him back.

"Consider him gone Haru. You have everything you've ever wanted right? You always wanted to be free, didn't you? Well now the last thing that may possibly tie you to this place is gone. Go be free, and don't even worry. I'll take great care of Makoto. We'll both just be a distant memory."

Kisumi swung his arm that had been holding Haru's hair and sent him flying into a nearby tree before walking forward and dropping straight down, the Earth closing after him.

* * *

"Sosuke!" Gou yelled running forward and attacking the black haired man with a hug in the carnival.

"Sorry," Sosuke said sitting down at the table across from Rin.

"Got lost again?" Rin asked.

"What's wrong with you? What kind of face is that?"

"Hey, this is my face! There's nothing wrong with my face! But, Haru's caused all sorts of extra problems."

"Haru?"

"You're changing the subject!"

"So? What's more important?"

"You're right. Haru's human again. He's dragged people from this time into our problems."

"Easy, get rid of them."

"What? No Sosuke! I- we- we like him, he's a good person."

"Oh," Sosuke murmured. "Well, what happened?"

"His name's Makoto, and he's super sweet, and muscle-y, I want to keep him and I know brother wouldn't mind keeping him either." Gou said with a grin.

Rin's ears burned red, "He's nice. It's just nice to tell everything to someone whose outside of it all, someone who listens and doesn't make you feel like this has all been some petty game. After awhile you begin to doubt everything and just kind of keep going with the plan and now, well, seeing how someone else responds is nice. A fresh perspective of someone unscathed by everything that happened."

"Well where are they?"

"I got into a fight with Haru-"

"Nothing new there."

"-and Makoto got hurt so I offered to erase everything. I thought it'd help. Sometimes I wish I couldn't remember anything and could just live like a present day person. A normal life, and he didn't want that and took off after Haru somewhere."

"Are you worried?"

"With how mean Haru was as a cat, yeah. He ripped up everything, scratched us countless times, and that was with us on guard. I think he lost his soul a long long time ago," Rin said with a sigh.

"Do you know where they are?" Sosuke asked.

"To be safe we stuck a tracking device on him, so yeah."

"Then let's go." Sosuke said standing and walking off.

"Oh no you don't," Rin said reaching out and hooking his arm through Sosuke's. "You've got the worst sense of direction, Gou, get his other side."

Rin pulled out his phone and pulled up the tracker, they followed it out of the carnival and towards the woods.

"What if everything is fine?" Gou asked.

"You really think everything's fine?" Rin asked.

"Normally I'd say no. But you told me all about how Haru interacted with Makoto. He wasn't ever that way with us. He gave up what he thought was his last life for him. I don't think Haru would ever try and actually hurt Makoto. Plus you saw Makoto. Haru couldn't have made those marks on him. Rin, if they seem like they're okay we're going to have to let them go."

Rin sighed, "You're right, but Haru's fooled me before."

"We need to admit that with Haru we tend to be a little shoot first ask questions later," Gou said with a frown.

They entered the clearing but it was empty.

"Weird, it says he should be here," Rin said glancing at the phone then handing it to Sosuke and letting go. He paused and sniffed the air. "That's weird."

"What's weird?" Gou asked walking forward to follow Rin but Sosuke grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him.

"There's blood in the air and magic," Sosuke said.

"Haru!" Rin ran off into the clearing towards the crumpled figure under a tree.

"Sosuke!" Rin called, "He's broken some bones! Bring me your bag!"

"First we hate him then we're fixing him, Rin make up your mind," Sosuke said taking his bag off and tossing it to him as he and Gou made their way over.

Birds flew from the trees above and cracking echoed the clearing as Haru's bones mended and cracked back into place. Haru's eyes flicked open and he screamed, sitting up, pushing them out of the way, scrambling up and rushing to where the hole had been in the ground, digging at the with his fingers.

"Makoto!" he cried, hoarsely digging at the ground. "Makoto!"

Sosuke rushed over, hooked his arms under Haru's and lifted him from the ground, restraining him. Haru kicked wildly at the air, and threw his head back, trying to head-butt Sosuke or to try and get free. Rin and Gou scrambled over.

"Haru!" Rin yelled. "What's going on?" He had to jump back away from Haru's swings.

"I think I'm going to have to sedate him," Rin said taking a deep breath.

"Wait," Gou said pushing him out of the way. She dodged Haru's kicks and got close, pulled back her hand and slapped him with all her might.

Haru blinked, coughed, and tears began running down his cheeks. Sosuke carefully set him back on the ground and released his arms. Haru sunk to the ground.

"Haru," Rin said carefully, kneeling next to him. "What happened? Where is he?"

"Kisumi," Haru spat.

"Kisumi? Like King Kisumi?" Rin asked looking at Gou in confusion. "But I haven't seen him in, well in forever."

"Oh no," Sosuke said running his hand over his face and sat down on the ground next to Haru. He took a deep breath and looked at Haru, "Where'd he take Makoto?"

Haru punched the ground, hands covered in dirt and pieces of grass, his fingertips were bleeding from trying to get through rocks. "He took him, underground, right here," Haru said then turned to look at Sosuke, his eyes aflame, "You could have stopped this all."

"Wait, hold up, what happened? How is King Kisumi here?"

"That would actually be your doing Rin," Sosuke said looking at the ground, studying the area Haru had gone back to digging at.


	10. Chocolate Covered Strawberries

The crackling of a fire woke Makoto up, the air smelled fruity and warm with cinnamon and cloves. He could hear knocking in the distance. He woke up in a cozy bed and in pink pajamas. He sat up and his heart sank when he remembered what had happened. He stood carefully and made his way towards the sounds, down warm halls. He found himself in the kitchen. Kisumi stood in the center wearing a frilly apron Makoto had seen before. He was slicing up a yellow-orange pod before him. He tossed the seeds over his shoulder where a pig, larger than any other Makoto had ever seen jumped up to eat it. The pig was covered with bandages and snorted happily before scuttling to the other side of the kitchen where a large fish bowl sat and a blackish green creature with long tentacles spun about and chirped happily when the pig came close.

After a moment or two Kisumi looked up, surprised to see Makoto standing in the door way.

"You're awake! Please sit," Kisumi said motioning towards one of the stools.

Makoto moved forward carefully, looking around uneasily before sliding into the stool across from Kisumi. It was hard to separate what he'd seen in his dream, a nightmare version of Kisumi from the Kisumi he knew. The one who'd wait outside his school with an umbrella on rainy days, who played with Ren and Ran with ease and who in turn adored Kisumi. He'd been Makoto's friend for years, rushing over during finals with Makoto's favorite snacks and helping him study, seeming to always know exactly what Makoto needed and when. But that broken laughter of Kisumi's as he lay in his own dungeon, in the ruins of his sand castle, blood on his clothes; just couldn't be separated from the pink haired man before him chopping up fruit and putting it in a blender. Kisumi was focused intensely at the task at hand, trying to make sure whatever he was doing was perfect, a trait Makoto was familiar with. Kisumi turned off the blender when he was pleased with the concoction and poured the mixture into two glasses.

"Despite everything that has happened and how much I want to hate it, I just adore this fruit," Kisumi said as he picked up a star shaped fruit and stuck it on the glass like a wedge, put in a striped straw and miniature umbrella then set one in front of Makoto.

Makoto eyed it uneasily and after watching him for a moment Kisumi laughed, a simple cheerful laugh, not the one that haunted Makoto from Haru's memories and his dreams.

"Oh, Makoto, don't worry! I swear I've been vegetarian for about 500 years. Tried being vegan but I'm too fond of ice cream and cheese. This is a carambola smoothie. Oranges, apples, star fruit, and honey. You'll be totally fine."

Makoto took a tentative sip and was surprised at how refreshing it was. Kisumi waved a chair over and sat across from Makoto. He smiled, stretched then stopped, "Oh right, I almost forgot," Kisumi said sadly and pulled a brown earthenware jar from one of the nearby drawers. He popped off the lid and dug his fingers into greenish muck, "Please excuse me," he said as he leaned forward and brushed his cold fingers against Makoto's neck. The burning of Makoto's skin began to subside and Makoto raised his hand to his neck confused.

"Pufflebum! Sir Huntley Willington the third!" Kisumi called.

Makoto heard the tapping sounds of hooves on the floor and sloshing of water. There was a snort as the pig came to a stop and a clink as the tentacles set the glass bowl back on the ground.

"I'd like to apologize," Kisumi said reaching out and running his hand on the pig's head. "You've never been in any danger but my emotions got away from me and I miscalculated and I forgot that when Sir Huntley Willington the third gets too stressed he can excrete things that are abrasive to the skin." An apologetic chittering came from the bowl and all the tentacles pulled in to hide.

"So you were the one in the haunted house," Makoto said.

"Yes, and I'm sure you know quite a lot from what his majesty had to say," Kisumi said with a sigh.

"Are you the same Kisumi? I mean, just to clarify?" Makoto asked.

Kisumi gave a strained smiled, "I am."

Makoto frowned and took another sip from his smoothie.

"Is Haru okay?"

Kisumi's smile disappeared and he sighed getting up and going to stir a few pots, "I'm sure he's okay. He's resilient."

Makoto nodded then sniffed the air, "Is that-?"

"Yes," Kisumi said pouring curry into a bowl with rice and setting it before Makoto, "Please go ahead Makoto,"

Makoto frowned looking up at Kisumi, "What about you?"

"I won't be joining you with curry. There's meat in it, Pufflebum handled it, he's very good at cooking meat, I'll be fine with my smoothie," Kisumi said raising his glass in a slight toast. When Makoto didn't eat Kisumi sighed and set his smoothie down.

Makoto frowned and looked into the curry then back up at Kisumi, "So every time you've made me curry Pufflebum helped?"

"Of course! They've always been around, they're family."

Makoto began to eat, then after a couple bites paused and looked at Kisumi who was watching him, head in hand, "Kisumi, are you going to try and explain or not?"

"Oh right! Of course! I've just missed this," Kisumi said, "Though first there's some things you need to know, some which might be alarming, but I should be honest. First, you can't leave. Wait, wait, I'll explain about that but it gets worse, calm down, eat your curry. Second your family has been cursed. It's not as bad as Haru's or my curse. It's more like a Sleeping Beauty curse."

Makoto spluttered, "Kisumi? What! How am I suppose to be calm with that information? I have to go, I have to help my family! Who did this?" Makoto said standing.

Kisumi grabbed his arm and held on tight, "Makoto remember the first part? You can't leave!"

"Why not?" Makoto demanded.

"You'll die."

"Kisumi, let me go," Makoto said struggling.

Kisumi stood, "Did you not hear me? You. Will. Die. Even if you think you can maybe go save them, you'd be rushing in without a plan. Don't make me restrain you. You'll do no one any good dead. They're leverage, now sit down, eat your curry and just listen. Please, Makoto."

Makoto shook and sat down. Kisumi sat down too, carefully letting go of Makoto's arm. He took a deep breath.

"Save your questions until the end. By saving that black cat you fell into a spider web I really hoped you'd never run into. I swear that royal blooded flea bag is the worst, he knew, he knew something was wrong and what does he do? Just asks for a day out. This morning I went by to see how you were and the place wreaked of magic. Everyone was cursed, and you'll probably never understand how relived I was to see that you weren't there. I did everything I could and they're safe for now, I've put some things into motion and I hope it works but maybe I should start a bit further back. Makoto, please don't let the curry get cold, eat."

Makoto frowned but began to eat again.

"I did eat people. That's true. And you should also know that I'm pretty prejudiced against Haru. As a child I lived with my parents and younger brother. My parents ruled pretty easily but they tended to be very nervous, we stood between Haru's kingdom and other kingdoms that weren't quite as stable. To get through the mountains they would have to pass through our kingdom. Haru's parents had made treaties and peace with a lot of them so my parents did whatever they could to keep the peace. Haru's parents told mine that they thought younger children of royalty should have an equal chance for greatness and that to do so they needed to be educated. They themselves only had one child and didn't understand the pain that brought us. Far away was an island and per their heavy handed suggestion my parents sent my little brother away with heavy hearts to this island to learn everything he ever could. It was the last time I saw him.

"My parents would go to visit the isle and leave me to practice ruling. They did this often because he was the baby, we all loved him, but I wasn't allowed to leave, someone had to be in charge. On one of their journeys to the isle the neighboring stability exploded and war broke out. You know that feeling kids get now when they're home alone at night and someone knocks at the door and they're parents aren't home? That fear? That panic of 'oh-no someone's going to steal everything or kill me or worse?' It was kinda like that. But worse. As news of war spread I waited every day for my parents to return home while having to calm the people and prepare for eventualities. I sent for a spell that would better protect our citizens.

"One day in the morning soldiers appeared at my door. They were one of our allies, they looked hagard and were bloody but the sorrow in their eyes was gut wrenching, or that's what I thought. I rushed to get the medic and something for them but they stopped me and carried in a box and a letter.

"Prince Kisumi" one said, a man who'd taught me how to ride a horse while we'd visited what felt like life times ago, he put his hand on my shoulder and it was heavier than I remembered. "The war is not going well, we heard your parents were out in the fray and tried to find them. I'm sorry, this is from the enemy."

"There are moments in life where you just know. I pushed his hand from my shoulder, fell to my knees and broke into the box. It was a terribly small box. Inside, devoid of their finery and hewn to bits, barely recognizable, but recognizable enough in the way nightmares are, were my parents. In the moment it'd take a child to open a gift I'd become an orphan, a king, and ruler of a land with war breaking out. All the notes I'd been making to tell my parents about our situation, all the problems I'd been organizing for them were now my problems to solve.

"My brother?" I asked, standing stiffly, dropping the lid.

"The isle has been cut off, we've word that the academy was razed to the ground. There were no survivors. I'm sorry your majesty."

"I see, what do you need?"

"Sometimes you have to push everything down to deal with it later and deal with all the problems that are more immediate. So I did. I bought us time for my spell to arrive, a simple potion to pour into the soil. Before I knew it everything was gone. I dreamt of the summers I spent at the lake with Haru, eating star fruit with him, Rin, Gou, and Sosuke. There was something refreshing about those summers before time ripped us apart and took our parents from us. I murdered and ate Haru's parents, Haru caused Rin and Gou's parents to die, and as much as I'd like to blame Haru for my parents death and as much as I do resent him and his parents for sending my brother away which in turn caused his death, I know it's not fair."

Kisumi picked up Makoto's empty bowl and went to the sink to rinse it out. He was shaking.

"I'm sorry Kisumi," Makoto said.

Kisumi gave a shaky smile, "I know how you're feeling, I know that feeling of panic where you're hoping you can do something, anything to save those you love, I understand your pain more than you could ever know, and I'm so sorry that you've had to feel it. I even know how Haru feels. The world I lived in turned into a nightmare in a second. I watched in horror as the mountains, this godlike wonder of my life, crumbled before my eyes. I felt hunger that I'd never dreamed of gnawing away at me, like an itch, like bugs in my veins that I couldn't get out. I consumed everything. I did as much research as I could, trying to turn it around but it was a curse so much worse then anything I'd ever imagined. Every page I finished I ate, I couldn't help it. Books, glass, people, anything and everything. I called, I screamed for help and no one listened and eventually it just turned into laughter. Certain things calmed the itch but never for very long. Even when there was nothing left I could eat but sand, no matter how hungry I got I still lived. I wanted to die so badly. But my curse wouldn't let me die. Nothing survived in my land, I became the curse and I consumed everything. I know I am a monster, a monster that passed on it's curse, willingly or not. I wish and have always wished that Haru had never visited. As soon as he showed up on my door I hoped the ruins would send him away, I hoped the sudden change in a land once so familiar would have been enough to spook him and let me waste away in the winds. I thought for sure that the smell of blood that seemed to emanate from every pore of my being and every crack in the stone was enough of a warning. I screamed with every fiber of my being I could still control for him to leave but the curse wouldn't allow it. Like a parasite it lured in a new host and played its game."

Kisumi shook his head and took a deep breath. Makoto stood, eyes full of concern. Kisumi hooked his arm through Makoto's, "Come let's go sit. I envy Haru's ability to have just shown you everything, though I'm sure that took it's own toll," he said, grabbing a box on the way out of the kitchen. "And there are some things I wouldn't wish for any one to ever see, even my worse enemy."

"I have a surprise for you," Kisumi said, motioning for Makoto to sit on the couch, a comfortable modern looking couch that he sunk into comfortably. Kisumi sat down next to him, facing him, and popped open the box.

"Kisumi- you don't have to do stuff like this," Makoto said with a soft smile.

Kisumi grinned and pulled out a chocolate covered strawberry and held it up to Makoto's lips, who ate it with a light blush. Kisumi took a strawberry for himself and rested his legs over Makoto's.

"Do you remember how we met?" Kisumi asked setting the box on the table.

"At a cafe, or outside it really. The old owner kicked you out, yelling about how your hair was a mockery to his establishment and disrespectful to himself. It was raining."

"He'd yelled at me in front of the customers, gotten sick of the color of my hair, refused to believe it was my hair color and hit me for lying. In all things it's not the worse thing that's happened since my curse was lifted but eventually everything adds up. When he threw me out, a job I'd been actually good at, it all just came crashing down. I'd hit the lowest part of rock bottom yet. Then suddenly it stopped raining. I looked up and you were leaning over me, shielding me from the rain with your umbrella, ignoring the old man who was telling you to stay away from me and calling me all sorts of names and you were getting wet. You didn't seem to notice, you held out your hand, helped me up and walked with me to a different cafe, you ordered us hot chocolate and chocolate covered strawberries and you talked to me for hours. You treated me like I was a person, you were the first person to do that in a very long time. And it didn't stop there. You invited me over for dinner, you'd check in on me just to see how I was doing and you actually cared. You taught me how to play basketball, let me win the first couple of times we played video games until I got the hang of it. You made me feel real, and like maybe just maybe I'd finally made it. I'd finally repented enough."

Kisumi leaned forward and kissed Makoto on the cheek, "It may have seemed like such a small thing but to me it meant the world. You saved me from myself and from utter despair."

Kisumi took a deep breath and gave Makoto the best smile he could muster which was barely a smile as his eyes filled with tears. Makoto pulled him into his arms, "Oh Kisumi," Makoto murmured and Kisumi sniffed, clutching onto Makoto's shirt as he cried.

There was the sound of small hooves running on the floor followed by wet movements. Kisumi popped his head out of Makoto's arms as a cold nose snuffled against his arm in concern. He laughed softly and rubbed his eyes as black tentacles rubbed his back, the bowl of water sitting on the ground and gold eyes looking out.

"No matter when or where I was, my pink haired was considered unnatural. But no matter how many times people yelled at me, cursed at me or called me things, or beat me or worse, I refused to change it. My hair, Pufflebum, and Sir Huntley Willington the third, are all I have left of my home, of my family. My hair was normal for my land, our crest was a heart and some of your current romantic associations, come from my people, from my family. But no one remembers. I understand it's just hair, but I have had people cut it when I was sleeping, I've had people rip chunks of it from my head. No matter what I say or do they never believe me, because I wiped out everyone else who shared this trait."

Makoto looked down at Kisumi, his purple eyes were still glassy with tears and he still shook a little as he tried to stop crying.

"How did Pufflebum and Sir Huntley Willington the third make it?" he asked softly, taking Kisumi's shaking hand in his own.

"Pufflebum and Sir Huntley Willington the third are precious to me. Hayato, my younger brother, loved animals, he was quiet and shy and the sweetest person. He'd spend his time rescuing hurt animals and healing them before setting them free again, Pufflebum and Sir Huntley Wilington the third refused to leave his side. Pufflebum was a small teacup pig and Sir Huntley Willington the third was an octopus, a small one. He was heartbroken when he had to leave them behind for school at the isle and to calm him I vowed to care for them and write to him about their antics every day. I kept my promise for as long as he lived. When I realized my vast hunger, I panicked. I used magic to make them bigger and to increase their intelligence so they could run from me and hide. Eventually in my eating I found a small plant that was rare within our lands and when I tried to eat it, it affected me adversely so I quickly made a potion and it's one of the things that Sir Huntley Willington the third secretes. Sadly all of it was used up on him and I couldn't put it on anything else. With him covered in it constantly the curse would't let me near him and with him always with Pufflebum they were both safe. They were all I could save and so they are all I have left."

They sat in silence for a moment, Makoto breathing in the smell of strawberries and chocolate but the nagging worry about his family wouldn't allow him to enjoy the moment of peace.

"I'm sorry, I don't want to rush you but can you please explain what happened to my family?" Makoto asked.

"You've been to Haru's version of the past, right?"

"Yeah."

"So you've seen Sosuke?"

"Yes, I don't understand what that has to do-"

"Sosuke became the youngest most powerful being in all the lands. To make sure that no one abused his powers and that he himself didn't abuse his powers, all the nations agreed on one thing, Sosuke couldn't interfere. So no kingdom could directly ask for his assitance on anything big. Like I myself couldn't call him to save my kingdom, I had to ask Haru's parents who just laughed at me because I hadn't been 'fully' prepared to be king the same way Haru was and thus was lesser for it. They said it with more pity than I could stand. I could ask for small protection spells but nothing to fix what was happening. But, so that Sosuke wouldn't be miserable, he was given a loop hole, he could interfere if it related to his own happiness. And that's what he's doing. Even though the majority of the treaties of the kingdoms have expired some habits are hard to break. He will do whatever he can to protect those he loves because they are his happiness."

"I still don't understand."

"Let me give you an example. Sosuke's known that I've been alive for a very long time, he talks to me occasionally. He knows why everything happened and how it could have been prevented but because by saying how and why would ruin his own happiness he hasn't said a word. This means while I know I was cursed and then I cursed passed my curse to Haru and then Rin cursed Haru again I am not aware of who cursed me or how or why. Awhile ago he took away Rin's memories. Tried to give him a life where he'd think he was just a normal modern person, but what he didn't know was that Rin had been writing and keeping journals and diaries of everything that had happened. They had a huge fight that lasted about a century. But now Sosuke is aware of these memory backups. It's why he didn't just kill Haru long ago. Because Rin would have known and would have felt cheated of his own revenge but also there is a part of Rin, hidden deep inside that still cares. And as much as I hate to admit it, I still care too. Neither of us could actually kill him, but Sosuke can. Sosuke cares more for Rin and Gou than anyone are his family, the ones he loves and has loved for longer than the rest of us have been capable of it. He sees this whole mess as just a mistake he can easily fix. Your parents, yourself, you're all bait. He will use your parents as bait for you, then you as bait for Haru and then without even a second thought, destroy you all. He'll have taken all of Rin's memory back ups, all of Gou's and he will reset it. They will be average people, they'll go to college, settle in some small city, finally grow old and then, eventually die, happy at having a real life without the pain and nightmares their history, our history, has caused."

"But why me? Why my family?"

"You woke everyone up. We've been trudging along through time like your current popular depiction of zombies. You woke me up. You woke up Haru, Rin, and Gou. A few acts of kindness that you may not see as big things are actually monumental and shifted the timeline we were headed down. You, in Sosuke's view, have wormed your way into the hearts of everyone he cares for or doesn't care for, and have brought us to the final stage of everything. Now if it'd been the opposite, if everyone hated you, this would have been easy. But instead everyone loves you. And as such, they'll remember you. If they see you in the crowd after Sosuke's wiped their memories and restarted everything you will bring it all back. Because you're now a part of their memories, you made your way into the bedrock. Haru would shock them back, and you would bring it back with a smile. Pained, but they'd be happy to see you. The only way for it to fully work is if you're all gone. Which is why I've refused to see Gou or Rin all this time. I know how Sosuke is. If I swayed them too much I'd have been on that hit list. And believe me there were times before you I almost ran gladly to it."

"What do I do?"

"You have options. I like some more than others. My magic is not nearly as strong as Sosuke's but I have your family protected. They are safe for the time being and while Sosuke can't find you he has no reason to hurt them. He's not aware that I know or even meddled with his spell. You can stay here as long as you like and I can keep trying to wake them up and relocate you somewhere safe where he can't find you. This keeps everyone alive and well. Even Haru. He won't hurt Haru until after he's caught you. Since Haru is still technically living royalty since some of his people survived (Rin and Gou) the treaty where he can't hurt Haru still exists, it's the only thing that never expired. But if he offers up his life to save you, his real last life, then Sosuke can take it. And Haru would do this, you have to realize that. I'd rather you stay safe and here. You can try and confront them. You will probably die. It's a hero's death but one where you won't be remembered by anyone. Maybe not even me depending on how Sosuke feels. You could try and talk to him, reason, but Sosuke's- he's hard to reason with, he's hard to talk to when it comes to Rin or Gou or their happiness. He's spent so much time making a cold shell because he couldn't interfere that that is who he is now. If you choose this path I will do everything I can to free your family and get them to safety, but I can't promise you that it will work. There's a chance. With Sosuke distracted his hold will lessen but whether it will be enough is a completely different story. But if you want a Romeo and Juliet ending that is your route. But please, think about it. Take your time, ask me any questions you want."

"I have a lot of questions. But first, are you still cursed? What happened?"

"It's gone. Apparently by making my own version of it and passing it on, it went away. I wished so badly that Haru had never come to visit. Because the deaths of all the people who died in his kingdom can be added to mine. It's almost like it needed a new host once it knew it sucked my land dry and drove me to the brink and past the brink. I hoped when it left I'd die. But I just couldn't. I gathered up Pufflebum and Sir Wellington the third and left, months after the hunger disappeared. I immediately vowed not to eat meat again, and was surprised that all the knowledge I'd consumed, in some ways literally, how easy it was for me to find the right types of plants and herbs that I could eat. The curse left me with a vastly smaller appetite. I could survive eons with just some grass and a drop of water. And for awhile I did. I'd travel to the most remote places on Earth and just stay there, as far away from humanity as possible, scared of how I'd react around people. It took me a long time to get up the courage to go into civilization again, and when people treated me like a monster for my hair I just assumed they could see all the blood on my hands and that they knew. So I stayed with humanity, no matter what they did to me because I deserved it. All of it. I think Haru has felt the same way and part of me wishes we could understand each other better, but even centuries don't seem to be enough to get over what happened. He gets angry as soon as he sees me and I get jealous as soon as I see him. There's always this terrible feeling knowing that even when I was in my darkest hour and I did the best I could that someone who went through the same fared better than I. To know that maybe if I was just a little stronger, a little smarter, if I'd handled things differently I could have been better, less people could have died. If like my parents, like Haru's parents, like every adult ever told me, if I had just been a little more like Haru things would have gone differently. Even you like him more."

"Kisumi, that's not fair."

"I've learned that a lot of things aren't fair Makoto. I'm still bitter about it. I met you first. You would be remarkably friendly in a way I felt I never deserved. I was over at your house playing with Ren and Ran every other night, I love them, they remind me of my little brother and it was so bittersweet, your parents said I was always welcome, but then as the years passed and I thought we were getting closer it all broke apart so easily by a black cat, a cursed king. I tried to be nice to him, tried to see if we could move past it but he always bit me or scratched me and even after I made Sosuke help dig him out of the ocean he still punched me in the face. I tried Makoto, so hard. He brings out the worst in me. But maybe it's because I was trying for you and not for me. I was scared. You were slipping away. I was so angry when he took you into the haunted house, doesn't he know those upset you? So I tried to scare him out of there, to get you out, but instead you got hurt. I went too far. I'm glad you didn't see anything. Because Pufflebum and Sir Huntley Willington the third can be quite scary in the right setting but are really just gentle loving creatures."

"I can see that," Makoto said as Sir Huntley Willington the third curled up around his shoulders and chirped.

"I'm sorry Makoto. Part of me always wanted to tell you but another part of me enjoyed the fantasy of living in your world. I'm sorry that you were ever pulled into mine. I'd hoped you'd never have to find yourself in this nightmare. And I blame myself, that even if I'm not longer cursed with that hunger that I am still cursed enough to spread misery and destruction to anyone I care about, to any one I love."

"Kisumi, you can't blame yourself for me getting into this mess," Makoto said.

Kisumi just smiled sadly and tossed one of the strawberries into the air and Pufflebum jumped to eat it.

Makoto sighed and leaned his head back looking at the ceiling. He was surprised to see it covered in stones.

Kisumi followed his gaze, he clapped his hands and the room went dark and slowly the stones glowed like stars in the sky.

"Where are we anyway Kisumi?"

"Underground, my home. It's not anywhere particular. I needed some place to go in case I ever got chased out of town, which has come in handy more times than you'd expect."

"It's beautiful."

"Makoto, I need to be honest. Haru is not happy at the moment. To get you away I had to neutralize- he's not dead, and right now I'm sure Rin's found and healed him, I'm not sure if anything broke, I just needed him to pass out and I wasn't as gentle as I probably should have been but I did hold back. I left him pretty upset and I didn't say anything nice. I said he wouldn't see you again. It was petty. Some of it. But I'm tired of him just using me as a punching bag. Even if he has a good reason. And I will admit against better judgement I've been antagonizing him. I figured if I wound him up it would buy us time."

"Time?" Makoto asked uneasy, he was filled with worry for Haru.

"While you were sleeping I did some reorganization of the space we're in. If they were to dig down the hole we went down there'd be nothing but dirt and I left false magic traces so they'll think we're in an opposite direction. Even Sosuke doesn't know about this place."

"Kisumi, I don't want to just hide. You know I can't stand fights. I can't stand the idea of everyone just not talking so they don't understand each other. Haru won't be happy with you but if he knew, knew that you yourself were cursed maybe he'd understand more and if Rin knew then maybe that little part of him that cares would grow, and maybe Sosuke has his own reasons. Everyone has their own stories and it seems like I still have one more to hear." Makoto turned to Kisumi and took his hands in his own, gazing into his purple eyes.

"Will you promise me to do everything you can to take care of my family? If it'd be easier for them to forget me, then just, do it. If you'd rather take my place, maybe you'll have a better time of it a second time around. But please just take care of them for me, save them. If I go straight towards danger then there's no need for them to be bait. I'll just offer myself up and if he goes for Haru, then...then I'll figure something out."


	11. Jasmine and Hope

Kisumi frowned, "I can't take your place, Makoto. If this is the path you want to take I can't let you go down it alone. Give me ten minutes."

Kisumi stood, carefully pulled Sir Huntley Wellington the third from Makoto's shoulders and headed down a hallway Makoto hadn't noticed before.

Makoto sat in the dark looking up at the crystal stars in the ceiling wondering if by chance they were magical and what wishing on them could do, or if that was just childish. He didn't like waiting, knowing that Haru was not okay and his family was in danger. It left him with a feeling of dread in his stomach. He hoped that maybe if everyone just called a truce and sat and talked then maybe something new could come from it, something positive. He jumped as an explosion echoed down the corridor and the smell of smoke filled the room.

"Kisumi?" Makoto called.

"It's okay!" Kisumi replied, rushing in, covered dust and dirt, he looked exhausted and he leanned heavily on to the couch.

"Your family is still cursed but I've relocated them so it can be dealt with at another time. I also washed your clothes, they're, uh- Pufflebum has them, I need some water," Kisumi said waving Pufflebum forward and swaying as he walked into the kitchen.

"You don't look okay Kisumi!" Makoto said taking his clothes from the pig and switching out of the pink pajamas.

* * *

"They're not here," Sosuke said, holding Haru at arms length.

"What should we do?" Gou asked.

"Let's go home, we can try and locate them from there," Rin said, reaching out and grabbing Sosuke's elbow and leading him back towards the beach.

* * *

"I'll be okay," Kisumi said using a washcloth to clear off the grime on his face and coming back in a jeans and t-shirt. "We're going to go straight to them, and try to use the element of surprise. I have a plan, and I've back up plans, I think if we manage to catch them all together and if we're fast then we have a chance," he said, "Now take my hand and close your eyes, we're going up."

Makoto took Kisumi's hand which was too warm and shut his eyes. He heard a rushing sound and then the muffled sounds of voices.

"We're here," Kisumi whispered in Makoto's ear. Kisumi opened the door and the bright neon colors of the hall momentarily blinded Makoto. "Rin's house?" Makoto asked quietly.

"Yeah," Kisumi said, shutting the door behind them and giving Makoto's hand a reassuring squeeze before letting go, "Are you ready?"

"As much as I can be," Makoto said, taking a deep breath and walking towards the voices, he couldn't hear Haru and it took all of his willpower not to run.

"Haru said they went underground, but there's nothing underground, I've spent the last half hour checking."

"Do you know anything about this Sosuke? You apparently knew Kisumi was still alive, why didn't you say anything?"

There was just a grumble in response.

Makoto stepped into the living room, Haru saw him first and bit Sosuke to let him go.

"What the- Haru?" Rin asked angrily.

Haru threw himself at Makoto, latching on tightly with all his strength. He glared over Makoto's shoulder at Kisumi who stood only a couple of steps behind Makoto who shrugged sheepishly and ran his hand through his pink hair.

Makoto moved carefully, an arm around Haru, supporting him and trying to keep his balance, surprisingly good at it from having Ren and Ran do them same thing. He sat down, or more fell into the couch between Rin and Gou. He looked across at Sosuke. Kisumi sat on the edge of the couch and gave a weak smile to Rin and Gou.

"What happened?" Rin asked turning to Makoto. "How is Kisumi still alive?"

"Sosuke?" Makoto asked quietly, "Maybe it's your turn? You don't have to stand by silently anymore and watch the world fall apart around you."

Sosuke seemed surprised and he stood up and headed towards the door.

"Sosuke?" Rin said scrambling up and rushing after him.

"I want them dead," Sosuke said, opening the door.

"Sosuke, wait, what?" Rin asked, pulling on Sosuke's arm and shutting the door with his leg.

"I think maybe it's time you finally gave us the missing pieces Sosuke," Kisumi called.

Sosuke's eyes narrowed as he looked over Rin at Kisumi, "I have more chess pieces then you would know, so don't push me Kisumi."

"What are they talking about?" Gou asked, helping Rin pull Sosuke back into the room.

Haru had shifted into Makoto's lap, resting his head in the crook of Makoto's neck, just breathing him in, and watching them carefully, body tense.

Sosuke tried to get past them and out the door but both red heads got a tight grip on his arms and gave him a look that he couldn't refuse. He sighed, "At least get me some coffee then," he said sounding tired.

Rin rushed off into the kitchen, leaving Gou sitting on the coffin coffee table holding Sosuke's hand with all her strength and fire in her eyes.

"You're very clever, Kisumi," Sosuke said using his free hand to reach into his bag and pull out books, old books barely held together by crude stitchings and newer books of all shapes and sizes. Gou's eyes widened as he placed them one by one on the table next to her.

"You didn't Sosuke!"

"I did."

Rin stood surprised in the door way with a tray of hot drinks.

"Why Sosuke?" Rin asked.

"You mentioned it tonight, and you've mentioned it before, hundreds of times, about how you envy people today who are normal, who don't have your memories. How you wished you could forget, I just- I wanted to give you what you wanted most."

Rin sat down heavily on the coffin table and passed out the warm drinks.

"Sosuke, I say that's what I want, but I don't want it. I'd forget my parents. I'd forget everything. I'd forget about everyone I love, all the memories I've shared with them. I'd forget all our adventures. Is that why you want them dead?"

Sosuke took his coffee and looked away.

"I'll take that as a yes. What else are you hiding Sosuke? Earlier you said this was my fault."

Sosuke sipped his coffee and didn't respond.

"Sosuke," Rin said.

Sosuke sighed, "I never said anything because you were still learning. But I knew. I knew that you'd try and help me by making sure I had less to do, when requests for small spells came in you'd take them. And a lot of the time it was fine. It was funny. You sent the royalty by the ocean who requested a wind spell a fin spell, turning the whole lot of them into creatures of the sea. You gave the people of the forest an enchantment that didn't help them with their crops but instead gave them wings. But Kisumi asked for something to just protect his people, a simple warning system that would be poured into the soil to save everyone and instead what you sent him was so much worse, you sent him a curse. Instead of being a warning system, once poured into the soil it slowly killed the land. Turned everything to sand. It was a hungry curse, a curse the likes of which I'd never seen. It infected the user of the spell like a parasite and consumed everything like a locust. People, things. Whole mountains crumbled and all of Kisumi's kingdom was destroyed. But the curse had a life of it's own and it refused to just die out, so whomever visited, once everything was gone, it'd jump hosts, and it did. It jumped to Haru. And Haru in turn took it home, fully aware of what nightmare he was carrying and as soon as he stepped into his own land it began to waste away just like Kisumi's. It took longer because it had fed so well off of Kisumi's land that it was sluggish. In a way, and I hate to say this, I've tried to hide it from your for centuries, you caused the death of your parents," Sosuke said.

Rin dropped his drink, hands rushing to his mouth in horror. He turned to look at Kisumi and Haru and Gou.

"Then how did it stop?" Gou asked.

"I sent Rin home, out of anger he cursed Haru and since the curse was his own creation to start with, the new curse which was more powerful and it neutralized the first."

Sosuke reached out and grabbed Rin's hands. "I should have stopped you, I should have checked every spell you ever sent out, I should have confronted you. But I was raised to never interfere. That what happens happens and it's just the way things are. I wasn't allowed to interfere and I never once challenged it until it was too late. I'm sorry Rin."

Rin pulled away but Sosuke, set his things down and pulled Rin into his arms and stood, reaching out and taking Gou's hand with his free one. He turned to Makoto. "I think we're going to need time. I see now. A bit. Why I couldn't see you before. Why I couldn't touch you. In the top book is a gift for Kisumi, I was going to use it as leverage or to get him out of the way. It's something I should have told him about long ago. The three of us need to go, don't worry your safe. I didn't realize that by holding everything in I was poisoning myself and the relationships I have with those I love. I'm still not okay with everything, but Rin and Gou are more important. I'll leave you a way to wake up your family. We'll meet again, but for now, I think we need to go process all of this." Sosuke turned and left down the hallway.

Kisumi darted forward from the couch scooping up the top book and opening it. He pulled out a letter, then fell on the floor, tears running down his face.

Haru reached out and snatched the letter and Makoto leanned over in concern. "Kisumi?"

"Hayato is still alive," Kisumi said in shock.

"Aii and Momo, two of Sosuke's friends were at the academy and managed to get some of the students out. A lot choose to return home since their lands were mostly undamaged but Hayato had been warned of the curse and choose to stay with Aii and Momo until it was safe once again to return to his brother. He's been waiting for a couple odd centuries," Haru said, jumping back as Kisumi hugged them out of joy. He pulled himself away as far as he could and whacked Kisumi on the head with the letter.

Makoto breathed out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding in and fainted.

"Kisumi," Haru hissed, "Is this your doing?"

Kisumi rubbed his eyes, sticking the letter in his pocket and looking at Makoto who'd fallen asleep between them, "No, I think he's just been tense for a long time. He's really a sensitive person. His worlds been upturned. He's probably going to cry as soon as he sees his family again. Even though they were fine yesterday and they won't understand why he's crying." Kisumi looked up at Haru, "I'm sorry Haru."

Haru looked away from Kisumi and brushed his fingers through Makoto's hair. "That was smart Kisumi, to use Rin and Gou as a shield from Sosuke."

"I didn't want him to get hurt. Or you."

Haru kissed the top of Makoto's head and got off the couch, stood up and scooped up Makoto.

"I can-" Kisumi said reaching out but one look from Haru had him pull his hand back quickly.

"This house is giving me a migrane, I'm taking him home."

"Wait. I moved his family."

"Where are they?"

"I'll have to take you there," Kisumi said standing.

Haru frowned but didn't back away as Kisumi walked towards them. Kisumi took a deep breath and very carefully placed his hand on Haru's shoulder and his other hand on Makoto's. Haru shut his eyes. When the weight on his shoulder left he opened his eyes and was surprised to hear a small thud. Kisumi lay on the white stone floors, knocked out but still breathing. Haru reached down, shifting Makoto carefully in his arms and grabbed Kisumi's leg, dragging him through the new place behind him as he looked around.

Rin's house was a warm hodge podge of all things time tried to forget. It was cozy but migranine inducing and small. This place was grand and elegant, almost Greek with large stone pillars and working fountains made from marble. There was water everywhere. Outside the windows was a still but beautiful pool and from there a short walk to the ocean. Tree's shielded the house from view and gave them privacy. Rose bushes were neatly trimmed and many types of flowers were in bloom. The air smelled of jasmine and the sea. The kitchen was modern and clean, there were plenty of bedrooms, offices, a library, and a huge dinning room. Haru used his feet and free hand to dump Kisumi onto the couch before heading off to do more exploring. Many rooms were locked so Haru gave up and picked an empty bedroom that opened up to the pool and gently put Makoto on the bed. He took off their shoes and put them on the floor before he climbed into bed as well. Haru curled up next to Makoto pulling the blankets around them and sliding his arms around Makoto's waist, holding him close, not feeling comfortable enough to fall asleep. So he listened to the sound of the waves crash on the shore and Makoto's breathing and for awhile dared to hope.


	12. Listening to Turtle Kings

Makoto woke up warm. He felt safe. He could hear the crashing of waves nearby. The bed he was in was cozy and soft and when he opened his eyes Haru was there, pressed against him with an arm around his waist. Haru glanced down and smiled.

"Where are we?" Makoto asked, "What happened?"

"I don't know where we are. Kisumi brought us here."

Makoto looked around, taking in the white stone, open glass doors and the ocean past the swimming pool.

"This isn't Kisumi's home," he said quietly before turning back to Haru and taking his hand. "Are you okay?"

"I'm better than I've been in a long time."

Makoto sat up, "There's some things I've been wanting to say. Maybe it's from living with you as a cat for so long and learning your cat language, but I know you're still not okay. Better than you've been in a long time, I know that's not much. This, what, week? Couple of days? Months? It's been hard. I know you hold a ton of weight on your shoulders, and even with the knowledge that it's not your fault, that you did everything you could, that you don't feel better. That you blame yourself for everything that's happened to me. That a part of you does believe Rin that maybe I'd be better without you, I'd be safer, I'd be normal. But I'm alive. I'm okay and if-" Makoto blushed but held onto Haru's hands a bit tighter within his own, "You didn't get to give me your answer before Kisumi interrupted, If you'd like to stay with me I would love to make my home your home."

Haru leaned his head against Makoto's staring into Makoto's eyes and blinked slow. Makoto's ears turned red.

Late evenings after Ren and Ran would go to bed Dewdrop would come down from checking on them and sit with Makoto, curled up in his lap. One evening, many weeks after they'd found a routine, Makoto was lying on his stomach on the floor with Rei and Nagisa, doing their homework and snacking, when Dewdrop walked on top of Makoto's books. The black cat's tail swished back and forth and purred before gently tapping Makoto's cheek to catch his attention. The cat rested his head against Makoto's and looked into his eyes. Surprised by this Makoto didn't know what to do, so he stared back into Dewdrop's blue eyes for a long time until he Dewdrop began to blink slowly. Makoto mimicked the cat and after awhile Dewdrop seemed satisfied and curled up on Makoto's textbooks.

"Dewdrop's fond of you," Rei said.

"You're definably the favorite," Nagisa agreed.

"What do you mean?" Makoto asked running his fingers through Dewdrop's fur.

"Slow-blinking is considered the equivalent of kisses from a cat," Rei said pushing up his glasses.

Dewdrop would catch Makoto occasionally for cat kisses, sometimes it was how Dewdrop said hello in the morning or good night in the evening. Sometimes it was thanks if Makoto scared of the birds in the yard or made up a warm bath for him. Makoto always felt pleased, the way anyone does when a cat chooses them as their favorite.

Haru smiled, freeing one of his hands from Makoto's and sliding it into the back of Makoto's hair, arm wrapped around his neck. Makoto seemed a bit frozen, in shock, suddenly realizing that he hadn't been playing for months with a cute but aloof cat but a young man, a king had been sending him 'cat kisses' and this cat, this man, joined him in the bath tub, gave him no privacy and was now sitting in his lap, and the beating of his own heart couldn't be hidden from him.

"Makoto," Haru said, practically a purr, "I want to keep you all to myself, you are my home. Can I kiss you?"

Makoto tried to speak but found his tongue tied in knots, his heart pounding in his ears, so he blinked, slowly back at Haru who smiled. Haru looked down at Makoto and lifted his chin gently, he blinked back slowly before pressing his lips against Makoto's. He breathed in Makoto, the warmth, the smell of summer, felt his heart pounding through his chest and smiled into the kiss as Makoto's arms wrapped around him. Haru never wanted time to stop more. But too quickly he pulled away and pulled himself off of Makoto, carefully disentangling himself. The look on Makoto's face broke his heart, so he reached out and took his hand and Makoto got up and out of bed, following him.

"I can't put it off anymore. We should ask Kisumi about your family. I know you're worried."

They walked out into the hall and Makoto looked around, taking everything in for the first time. There was a soft voice echoing down the hall that opened up into a kitchen over looking a balcony dining area. Kisumi was wandering around the kitchen and talking.

"How long?"

"Mmmhmm, Can I-"

"We can't? That doesn't seem fair-"

"Oh, I see, let him sleep then."

"See you soon."

Kisumi let out a deep breath tossing the phone which was snatched out of the air by a blackish green tentacle. Haru stopped suddenly, pulling Makoto behind him. Makoto looked over the top of Haru's head as Kisumi bent down and stared at the plates before him adding minute changes before standing quickly and clapping his hands with a satisfied air.

"Haru~" Kisumi called, "No need to protect Makoto. Pufflebum and Sir Huntley Willington the third have promised to be on their very best behavior. The three of us are a little too excited to do anyone any harm, so come, eat!"

Haru frowned and walked forward carefully, looking around. Makoto followed behind him, Haru sliding in front of him if he tried to walk beside him. Makoto followed Haru out the sliding glass door onto the balcony where Kisumi set their plates and took a seat. Haru looked around uneasily before letting Makoto sit and pulling his chair somewhat closer to Makoto's, their knees touching as they sat.

"How did you sleep Makoto? You didn't bump your head when you fainted?" Kisumi asked.

"I slept okay, I'm okay. How are you Kisumi?"

Kisumi smiled and shook his head, "Stop being so sweet, formalities are unnecessary at the moment. You're putting everyone else first, so I will just skip forward to business, because I can see the worry in your eyes you're trying to hide," Kisumi turned to Haru. "Sosuke hasn't sent me the key. I'm hoping that means he's just a bit caught up with Rin and Gou and dealing the information he dropped. I hope that it doesn't mean anything else, anything more serious."

Haru nodded but frowned, sitting back in his seat, but stiffening as Kisumi reached out and took Makoto's hand.

"Kisumi," Haru growled.

"Your family is here. They are fine. The sleeping spell is harmless the way I tweaked it. I think it's timed, they will wake up, but a key will make it a lot faster. I've locked their rooms so no one can get into them. Breathe please Makoto, think of it like they're napping, or that they're on vacation. Seriously when they wake up they'll feel more rested than probably anyone else on this planet. It's now more like a spa sleep spell. The kind requested by royals all the time to feel more rested and to sleep better. All we need is for Rin, Gou, and Sosuke to sort out everything and send us the key and then this will all be over."

There was a hope in Kisumi Makoto hadn't seen in a long time. The Kisumi he knew, the one whose language and mannerisms he spoke fluently, had hope, but it was small, mostly a mask he'd created to make Makoto feel comfortable. To field off questions to hide his pain. A mask that changed subtly depending on where they were and who they were with. But sitting on the balcony under palm trees with the ocean breeze and a plate full of pancakes between them, as Kisumi held his hand and tried to stress the importance of not freaking out, Makoto saw part of the mask crack. Makoto may have fainted, he may not have known exactly where he was but he didn't forget what had happened the night before. That phone call pieced with Kisumi crying, clutching onto his shirt, his head resting between Haru's and his own as Haru tried to free himself, Hayato was coming and Kisumi was freeing himself. The process had probably started last night, bits of his shell, a nightmarish shroud he'd wrapped himself in was crumbling away.

Makoto smiled and gave Kisumi's hand a squeeze before taking his hand back. Sir Huntley Willington the third swung out over them, pouring them juice.

"Thank you Kisumi, I understand. I have to be patient, so to distract me. Tell me, when is Hayato getting here?"

Kisumi grinned, pulling his napkin from it's ring and unfolded it over his lap, "Soon. Ah but first, Haru, you have fried mackerel with bretonne sauce and Makoto you have chocolate chip pancakes with a chocolate infused maple syrup. Please eat before it gets cold."

Makoto took a bite then frowned as he looked at Kisumi who was drinking just a cup of coffee.

"Aren't you hungry Kisumi?"

"Oh no. I don't eat much remember? Plus I'd rather save any room I have in my stomach to share a meal with Hayato," Kisumi said with a smile, "Please forgive me."

"I understand," Makoto said, before going back to eating his pancakes.

"Is this really mackerel?" Haru asked, poking the food in front of him with a fork.

Kisumi laughed, "Yes, Pufflebum cooked it up earlier. I made the sauce."

"Pufflebum? Who named these monsters? And do they have to be here?"

Kisumi's smile seemed strained but resilient, "My brother named them. I'm afraid we're all just a little to excited. They'll wait inside. Actually, I will wait inside with them," Kisumi stood, pushed his chair in and held his arm out for Sir Huntley Willington the third to wrap around before shutting the sliding glass door behind them.

Makoto took a big piece of pancake and shoved it in his mouth.

After a couple bites of his mackerel Haru cursed and set his fork down and put his face in his hands.

Makoto chewed a little slower, watching him carefully.

"I'm sorry okay! It's really easy and very helpful to have someone to blame. They become the ultimate evil and it's really really hard to forgive your villains. I don't like it. I don't like this, him being human, having reasons. Reasons I understand. He's been the monster pulling my strings for ages, the one haunting the shadows. It's hard to swallow that things aren't black and white. I hate this gray world. I don't want him to be like he was when we were kids."

Makoto swallowed his food, took a sip of the juice and gently took Haru's hands in his own and pulled them from his face, "Haru" he said softly. He ran his thumbs over Haru's knuckles before interlacing their fingers. "I hope you don't expect your feelings to change so suddenly. It can be hard to give someone a second chance, and with everything you've all been through, all the time you've only had a piece of the puzzle. It takes time. You have to give yourself time Haru, it will take a long time to heal I'm sure. Just let me know if you need anything from me, I want to be here for you."

Haru sighed, took a deep breath and looked at Makoto. He leaned forward and ran his tongue slowly over Makoto's lower lip and gave him a soft kiss, "Chocolate," he said pulling away, grinning as Makoto turned red.

"Why did Pufflebum make my food?" Haru asked taking another bite.

"Ki-Kisumi doesn't work with meat. He's been vegetarian since his curse was lifted."

"Which one is Pufflebum?"

"The pig."

"It's good," Haru said taking another bite.

Makoto smiled and finished off his mound of pancakes before sitting back and look out at the ocean.

"Hey, Haru?"

"Hmmm?"

"When everyone is safe and sound, do you want to- maybe we could- go swimming together? Maybe at the water park?" Makoto asked.

Haru's eyes sparkled and he stood, "Where is it?"

Makoto grabbed his hand, "Mom and Dad would have to drive us."

Haru nodded and sat back down and finished his mackerel.

"It'll be interesting to see Hayato. Kisumi was a doting older brother, he adored Hayato. He sent strongly worded letters to my parents occasionally about how his brother shouldn't have been at the school since he'd never been taught how to swim and being surrounded by so much water must have been terrifying. My parents thought it was cute but a waste of time, so they never responded, saying it'd 'make the boy stronger'," Haru said standing and heading towards the glass door when and explosion made the house shake. Haru rushed in, keeping Makoto behind him.

Standing by the entrance near one of the fountains were two teenagers, one with gray hair and the other with fiery orange hair. The gray haired one seemed surprised and looked around wide eyed.

"Aii! Momo!" Kisumi said sliding down off the kitchen bar and rushing forward but Momo met him half way and held up his hand then motioned for Kisumi to follow them into the kitchen, leaving a small pink haired boy standing alone in the entry way. He was about as old as Ren and Ran and Makoto couldn't help himself, he crouched down and smiled at the boy.

"Hello, Hayato correct? It's nice to meet you, I'm Makoto."

Hayato walked carefully towards Makoto.

* * *

"What's going on?" Haru asked following Aii and Momo, looking out the door as Makoto and Hayato played. Hayato seemed shy but was warming up to Makoto quickly and was soon full of smiles.

"A couple things," Aii said uneasily pulling papers out of his bag that he dropped and Momo sighed scooping them up as Aii panicked.

"Simple stuff," Momo said, "We've kept him asleep, or kinda like in a magical coma for a couple odd centuries, but he's not this age, mentally. He shouldn't be this age physically. But the magic that got him stuck this way is pretty strong, we've needed family DNA to unlock a more appropriate age."

"How old?" Kisumi asked looking out as Makoto and Hayato walked towards the pool.

"Not too much older, a young teen I'd suppose. Don't worry your little brother won't be your older brother in looks."

"Did he ever learn how to swim?" Haru asked watching Makoto laugh as they played in the pool and felt an itch. It took everything to not rip off his clothes and run into the water. The water was glistening off of Makoto's body and it felt like torture not to be in the pool with him.

"No, he's been pretty quiet and easily scared since the school exploded. We weren't able to save everyone and he's seen some pretty gruesome things."

"What do you need from me?" Kisumi asked.

"Some strands of hair and some help with a spell," Aii said pulling out pots and pans in the kitchen and setting beakers and test tubes on the counter.

* * *

Hayato floated on his back, eyes shut, with Makoto's hands supporting him. After a small coaxing by Makoto he opened his eyes and saw the clear blue sky above and heard Makoto's voice, a sound of congratulations as his limbs moved through the water like the silk he'd been use to as a child.

"See? Floating is easy," Makoto said treading water in the deep end.

Hayato nodded and mimicked Makoto with fierce determination treading the water.

"Careful, don't wear yourself out," Makoto said, smiling, "You don't have to run a marathon to stay up."

"Makoto?" Hayato managed, sinking a bit then rushing back to the surface.

"Yes?"

"You said you had siblings my age?"

"Yeah, Ren and Ran. I taught them how to swim too."

"Kisumi planned to teach me, but it didn't work out, I got sent away first."

"It's never too late to learn."

"I see that, thank you Makoto. You're good at this."

Makoto swam over to the edge of the pool and sat on the steps, looking worriedly towards the kitchen. The whole morning had passed and the earlier part of the afternoon and he still hadn't seen Kisumi or Haru emerge from the kitchen. He hoped they weren't fighting.

Hayato floated onto his back, making his way to the shallow end to sit next to Makoto.

"Kisumi is here right?" Hayato asked.

"Yes, I'm not sure what the hold up is though," Makoto answered.

"Is he okay?"

"I think so. He's getting better. He's really excited to see you,"

Hayato tilted his head and stared at Makoto and frowned sadly, "But he's not the one you're in love with is he?"

"What?" Makoto asked looking at Hayato in surprise, turning bright red.

"It would have been nice. I like you. You're kind."

"H-Hayato?"

Hayato giggled watching Makoto's face turn bright red and it spread down his chest and neck.

"Sorry, maybe you didn't know you were in love. It happens. Magic was pretty steady in my family and romance was our specialty. Or love I suppose. Even the least magical of anyone in our family can still tell by looking if someone is in love, broken hearted, or anything else within the scale of love and romance. Your smitten. My brother is great at it, his branches off more than just emotion, he can tell how people feel about each other and either diffuse a situation with utter ease or say the right things to set people off. It got him into trouble a lot. I'm not comfortable around a lot of people because of it. I don't like knowing whose with who. It was horrid at masquerades, being introduced to kings and queens and then getting confused because I knew they were in love with other people, sleeping with other people. It's why I spent all my time with animals. It's different with them, instead I can see if they're in pain or sad, and I can help."

"Like Pufflebum and Sir Huntley Willington the third."

"Kisumi mentioned them? I've missed them so much. I made new friends at the academy. I'd run away at night because the headmaster would give us the worst look once the teachers went home. It was better to not be there. I ended up finding this old turtle one night on the beach trying to snap away birds that were swooping down. I helped shoo them away and then watched baby sea turtles make their way out of the sand and to the ocean. The old turtle was injured and I spent most of the night sneaking in and out of the school to heal him. I also met whales and crabs and every night would rescue beached jellyfish. I got stung so many times until I found gloves. One evening after getting all the jellyfish up that old turtle crawled onto the beach. I left him alone but he followed me around the beach. Until I stopped and sat down and I was so surprised when he spoke.

"Did you know that some marine animals can talk? Apparently he use to be king and his people lived alongside the sea but a mishap with a spell turned them into creatures of the ocean and they spent their time trying to protect their newfound friends. He told me about the war that had broken out, the winged people of the woods kept in touch with them and spread news and the local gossip. He told me that the war wasn't going well on any side and many innocent people were getting caught in the fray. I panicked because it was near the time of year where my parents would journey out of the mountains to visit me and the sea turtle king seemed to catch my look and looked away before confirming my fears. He told me about an overheard plot to come to the isle and raze it to the ground. He gave me the schedule and a plan to save everyone.

"I told everyone, but- but the teachers, the headmaster, they didn't believe me. I ran and told the wizards of the isle, and they- they rushed back with me and it was too late. They were already there and all that time I'd wasted trying to convince people, to make my case, it was time wasted and so many people died. Out of a couple thousand students we only managed to rescue 20. Makoto, I know Kisumi's been through a lot. But I know my brother, I know the story. I know it wasn't his fault. I- I could have saved them, do you think, do you think he'll forgive me? When I could have saved people while he couldn't and I let them slip through my fingers?" Hayato asked holding his arms and looking at Makoto with big haunted blue eyes.

"Oh Hayato, it's not your fault." Makoto said pulling into a hug, "Don't compare your tragedies, without you no one would have survived."

There was an explosion in the kitchen and Makoto looked over, he ruffled Hayato's hair.

"Kisumi loves you, nothing will ever change that, Hayato," Makoto said turning back.

In his arms was a teen looking up at him with tearful blue eyes.

"H-Hayato?!" Makoto asked uneasily.

"Huh? Makoto, what's wrong?" Hayato asked, his voice lower, he turned to look in the still water that Makoto was pointing at. Hayato stared for a moment, squinting, then his eyes widened and he looked at Makoto with a grin then threw his arms around Makoto.

"Oh! They said they had a surprise! I didn't know they could do it! I'm not stuck looking like a kid anymore!" Hayato said laughing happily.

Makoto heard running footsteps on the stone floors and turned to see Kisumi rushing towards them followed by Haru who was frowning. Kisumi rushed into the pool hugging Makoto and Hayato, his shoes and clothes getting wet. Hayato was crying but he was smiling and so was Kisumi and Makoto was stuck in the middle.

Hayato looked from Kisumi to Makoto, "I'm sorry Kisumi," he murmured.

Kisumi laughed in surprise, "Don't worry about me. Oh Hayato, I'm so happy to see you, I- I can't believed it! There's so much I want to show you."

Hayato nodded, stared into Kisumi's eyes then looked at Makoto, "Thank you again Makoto."

"We'll see you later Makoto," Kisumi said.

The both turned and kissed Makoto on the cheek before Kisumi and Hayato stood and headed inside, Kisumi calling up out to Pufflebum and Sir Huntley Willington the third who rushed through the halls and followed after them excitedly, Sir Huntley Willington the third wrapping himself around Hayato and chirping happily.

The world went dark as something slapped into Makoto's face, he pulled it away, revealing a shirt and saw Haru swimming around with a look of peace on his face. Makoto smiled and watched him for awhile before swimming towards him. Haru dived underwater and Makoto treaded water, waiting, when he felt a hand pull him down and Makoto met Haru's eyes under the surface, the world was quiet. Haru smiled moving closer to Makoto, cupping the side of Makoto's face and pulling him into a kiss.


	13. Crashing Against the Rocks

"What do we do now?" Makoto asked drying off with a big fluffy towel, sitting on the edge of the pool.

"Do you want to go for a walk? Get out of here for awhile?" Haru asked, resting his arms on the pool edge and looking up at Makoto.

"I would like to go for a walk, it'd be nice to know where we are," Makoto said.

"We could do a picnic. I'll put together some food and meet you on the beach?" Haru suggested, pulling himself out of the water and kissing Makoto before heading off to the kitchen.

"Okay!" Makoto said, smiling as he put on his shirt and his shoes before heading out through the front doors and down the path to the beach.

* * *

Haru watched him go with a smile before going through the stuff in the kitchen, opening drawers and the fridge. He grabbed a basket he'd noticed earlier. He quickly went to work cooking and putting together simple late lunch foods for a picnic on the beach.

Makoto looked out at the ocean, breathed in the briny smell and stretched. Dark bits of seaweed had washed up on shore and a gull was smashing crabs against the rocks and pulling out the meat.

"There's nothing you can do about it," a voice said behind Makoto.

Makoto yelped, jumping and spinning around to face the tall man with black hair and teal eyes.

"Sosuke?"

"I've been waiting. My car's just over there. Come on," Sosuke said walking towards the black car sitting on the edge of the road.

"What do you mean?"

"If you want the key to wake up your family you'll have to get in the car."

Makoto frowned looking up at the beautiful white house. He could see the balcony from the beach, could see Haru moving about in the kitchen.

"I should at least-"

"Time sensitive offer Makoto," Sosuke said. "Do you want to ever talk to your parents again? Your little siblings?"

"Okay, just give me a moment," Makoto said grabbing a stick and scribbling a note in the sand before running towards the black car parked along side the road and the man with sad teal eyes.

Haru carefully set everything in the basket and headed down to the beach, a folded blanket under one arm. On the beach he looked around for Makoto but didn't see him on the beach so he looked past the carnage of crabs and into the sea but there wasn't a brunette bobbing around in the water. Frowning he looked down, saw the scribbled note in the sand. He dropped the basket, the blanket, and turned and ran back into the house, slamming open the doors.

"Kisumi!" Haru yelled, his panicked voice echoing through the empty halls.

* * *

Sosuke's car had a new car smell. Makoto sat awkwardly, not sure how to sit comfortably. There was nothing of personality in the car. It was clean, but there wasn't anything else on the key chain, or on the dash or in any of the compartments. Sosuke has classical music playing quietly as he drove. He hadn't said a word since Makoto had gotten in the car, hadn't even looked at him after Makoto had put on his seat belt. As soon as the doors had shut he'd taken off. Fast. Up and down winding roads that seemed miraculously empty. Makoto realized he hadn't seen anyone since the carnival. Anyone outside of this group of cursed magical beings from the past. He felt uneasy beneath his skin. Where was everyone? Surely the world couldn't just disappear at their whim. It was quiet, too quiet. There was no one to hear him scream if anything happened. No one to find a body if there was one.

After sliding back and forth from fast turn after fast turn for the entirety of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" Makoto finally got up the courage to speak.

"What's going on Sosuke?"

"We're going for a drive that's all."

"Where?"

"Just a drive. People use to do that. Just drive. Like this, there weren't many cars on the road so you could go as fast as you wanted, but everyone feared their cars would just fall apart if they went too fast. It's nice to be somewhere where there is no one else. It's peaceful don't you think?"

"I suppose so, but it's lonely."

"Sometimes we're better off alone Makoto. Are you scared?"

"I-"

"You are. Kisumi said you scared easily. He talked about you a lot. And now Rin and Gou do too. Who are you Makoto?"

"I- Are Rin and Gou okay?" Makoto asked.

Sosuke laughed, a hollow unhappy laugh. "Sure! Of course they're okay! Why wouldn't they be? Oh right! I had to tell them Rin's the reason that we're all here."

"Are you okay Sosuke?"

"What would you have done differently Makoto? Hmm?"

Makoto didn't answer, sliding to the side and against the door as Sosuke took another sharp turn and grinned wildly in a way that chilled Makoto to the bone.

"I bet you've been thinking. If only. If only I'd been there I could have done something. I could have fixed everything. But let me ask you something Makoto. If you could go back, when would you and to who? Would you go to Haru? Kisumi? Rin? Myself? What would you say? What would you do? Open up the glove compartment."

Makoto did and pulled out a small black and silver ornate vial.

"I could do it Makoto. I could send you back. That's a vial of poison. You could kill someone. But who would you choose? When? Would you rush to Haru's side after he'd locked himself away? Would you try and reason with him? As his cursed soul feasted upon your flesh? Would you go to Kisumi and stop him from pouring the one thing he thought would save his people? A choice he made while filled with grief and was sure would be the one good thing he could do in memory of those who'd been ripped from him? How would you get past the guards? How would you tell him that what he thought was the cure was actually a poison? What if by stopping him invaders came? What if the war flooded in and killed them all? Man, woman, and child cut down by an enemy? What if they fought bravely? What if they took them as prisoners of war? Kisumi would be the first to be killed, the last known survivor of a kingdom's legacy under siege. His blood would stain the steps of the castle. The mountains would survive this choice but Kisumi's blood, a person you know and have been friends with for years, would die in order to save practically no strangers. Then where would Hayato be? Living for eternity stuck in the body of a child. Knowing he's older but no one taking him seriously, either forever asleep or if free bouncing from one awkward foster home to the next. Unable to end his eternal torment. Haru's parents wouldn't die there. They wouldn't be killed by Kisumi's curse, but with war closing in and their habit to laugh in the face of danger they wouldn't have lasted long, no matter what Haru would like to believe.

Would you go for Rin? Would you try and stop him from turning Haru into a cat? Would you run to the castle doors as they flew open, as he held his emaciated, dehydrated, dying sister in his arms and confronted Haru on the damage he was causing? On the bodies of his parents, the deserted town while seeing behind Haru the still lush grass and cherry tree over the lake? Would you be able to stop his hysteria?

Would you confront him about making his potions? Would you dare challenge him of something he thought no one else knew he was doing? You, a stranger he'd never seen telling him that everything he'd ever dreamed of as a kid, all his hopes and dreams that he thought he was getting the hang of, the powers, the adventures, helping others, would you tell him he's a failure? That the one thing he thought he was good at, that he wasn't good enough?

Would you find Haru before everything started and fall in love? Would you try and get his attention and have your own ending before everything went bad? To save him from his own future? You wouldn't get near. A weird boy without any crest or family, no one to introduce you, no letter of recommendation. If, by chance he did see you you would just be a momentary fling to try and get rid of the dull ache he felt in his soul. Haru never wanted to be king, but he was set upon the path, he saw hundreds of beautiful people monthly as possible suitors to carry on his line. He hated it. The idea of romance was too much energy. The cliche of mistresses and affairs, men and women bored him. You, even with all your charm, wouldn't have been able to get close. With how he was you wouldn't have been able to wake him. The captain would have torn you to shreds, tossed you in the dungeon, banished you and if by chance you did get past it all, did get through to him, got his attention, he was still a spoiled brat of a prince whose privilege gave him a certain cruelty towards those who showed too much emotion, too much care. He would chew you up and once he was done spit you out until you no longer could recognize who you were or why you were there. You'd welcome his fall from grace. He was loved, sure. But not loved-loved. He was loved in the way a good prince in a peaceful time following many many peaceful and prosperous times can be. He was incapable of loving people in return. You would have gotten in the way of his freedom.

Would you try to stop Rin from joining me? Would you have tried to confront me? Go straight to the source? Once again the captain would have stopped you. In your dreams it felt easy but that's because those dreams were trying to show you something. They adjusted, moved to include you so that it felt like you were a part of it. A part of the story, a part of our history. Rin would not have taken kindly to loosing his dream. Why do you think I kept it alive for so long? Why do you think I held the truth from him? His passion, his determination, he's full of hope and dreams. For someone without those, he was my flame. Could you break his dreams as easily as a bug crushed below? What would have happened then? Without him messing up? More students on the isle would have died without the knowledge the old king turtle told Hayato. More kingdoms that became pacifistic parts of their own ecology would have still been people and would have joined in the bloodshed.

Would I have listened to you? A stranger who claims to come from another time, a different future? Would you poison me? Do you blame me for everything? Would I be your target? Would your poison even work? Would I realize when looking into your eyes the pain and suffering those I love would eventually fall under? Would I realize that those mornings in the summer eating carambola would be the only memories in the future when everything fell apart that I would look back on, a time when I felt sure and happy and okay with the chains wrapped around me, restricting me from helping? Would you kill my parents before I was born? To stop me from being born? Would you save them? Would you save me the pain?

You don't know how many times throughout the ages I've questioned this. I've gone through everything you've probably thought of from every angle. Do you think I didn't fight with the chains that bound me as I grew? Do you think that I let people shackle me into complacency without trying to escape? Before they found me all I wanted was a simple life. I'd been promised a simple life. But they issued a mandatory test for magic and they found me. I didn't ask for it. At first it was fun. Small magic tricks I showed to impress my parents, my friends. But when they realized my potential the treaties came."

Sosuke rolled up his sleeve and Makoto saw the scars on his skin, they shimmered as if they were alive, patterns that changed whenever Makoto tried to figure out what they were.

"Treaties literally burned into my skin with magic. I wasn't a kid anymore. I was a weapon. If a kingdom didn't act quick enough I could be used against them. I was neutralized to the point I could breathe. What do you think came first? The curse sent to Kisumi, right? That wasn't my breaking point, I was already broken then. I was barely the age of your siblings when I broke. When I saw people I cared for die but there wasn't anything I could do because they were 'too important' for me to save. I tried to dig the spells out of my skin and it only made it worse. I studied hard to learn more. I hoped if I became even stronger than maybe I could break them, but they were a promise I hadn't been given a choice to make. They were not just etched in my skin, but in my muscles, in my blood and in my bones.

So I studied the wording and found my loop hole. I could save only people who were too important to me that would ruin my happiness. But I had no one, until I remembered a red headed boy I'd spent summers swimming with and eating fruit shaped like the stars who was so strong and that memory filled me with warmth. I was so stunned by the emotions, that I set out to find him, claiming a need to take on an apprentice. It felt like fate that he had magic, that he was so excited for it. It took everything in me not to just tell him that I'd rigged it for him. That I picked him. He talked constantly and it was pleasant. It was pleasant to not be alone anymore and I worked to build up walls around the soft spot growing in my heart. I never told him. I let things slide that I wouldn't have otherwise, but I'm sure if I tried to change things I wouldn't have been able to because it was interfering with the fate of the lands.

I've spent centuries mulling everything over. I've tried multiple times to give him a happy ending. To let the person I care about in this world to be happy. But he won't let me. I've tried so many different ways. I've tried to free him, to let him go forth, not knowing me, or anyone else, or just Gou. But it never works. Why won't he let me make him happy? Why won't he let me take away the pain? No one should be burdened with all of this. All these memories, all this knowledge of how just small things could have changed everything. How different choices could have put the blame on someone else. How maybe with the slimmest chance, maybe if everything was slightly adjusted, then maybe everyone could have lived happily ever after. I can't free myself but I could free him. If he would let me. I could give him a happy ending. I've stopped myself many times from grabbing a random person on the street, giving them instructions, the vial, and sending them into the past. Not to Kisumi, or Rin, or Haru, but with a letter to myself and the hopes that I'd never read it but instead just know and let it happen. I'm so sure I would. I'd welcome it. Especially if I knew, if I knew that if I didn't allow myself that one loop hole, that one selfish act that made me so happy, but broke the one person I loved that at least they could have a happy ending. A happy ending without me. Maybe people would still die, and maybe it's still selfish but the pain of everything I've witnessed and been unable to do anything about I'd welcome an end to it. But I can't. I've tried. With Haru alive, with Kisumi alive and Hayato too, the treaties live and I can't die. "

Sosuke was driving faster, through the mountains and turned to Makoto and gave him a broken smile. "So tell me, Makoto, who woke everyone up, who made this moth's flame smile for the first time in centuries, who would you kill if I sent you back in time with that vial of poison?"

"I don't want to go back Sosuke," Makoto said, voice cracking.

"Of course you don't. He wouldn't talk to me. He and Gou are at their home, curled up in bed. Do you know how this feels? I may have become numb with time but with them I just can't be numb."

Makoto rubbed at his eyes, "I understand."

"Do you?" Sosuke asked glancing at him and noting the tears in Makoto's eyes.

"Why are you crying?"

"I'm sorry Sosuke."

"Why are you apologizing?"

"No one had it easy. All any of you have been doing is torturing yourselves with guilt and pain and what ifs and maybe's for centuries. Like you said, you've thought of every angle and there is no fix. And maybe, now, now is just the time where you finally allowing yourselves to heal, but it's like you've been walking on a broken leg for so long it's healed improperly, so you've got to re-break it in order to fix it. You need to tell Rin."

"Tell Rin what?" Sosuke asked.

"Tell him you love him."

"He knows."

"Does he? Does he really know? All I know from all the stories I've heard is that everyone is really bad at communicating. Maybe If you said something of substance to one another in the past couple of centuries, but everyone keeps things to themselves. Like you not telling Kisumi that Hayato was alive. Or Haru not telling Rin about the previous curse."

"I didn't tell Kisumi because he wouldn't have been able to care for Hayato. Before you, Makoto, Kisumi took whatever the world threw at him even if it was all really really bad. To introduce that version of Kisumi to Hayato would have been scarring. Hayato wouldn't have been able to handle that version of Kisumi."

"But if you told him, maybe he wouldn't have-"

"You don't know for certain. Maybe we all needed someone outside of it to talk to first. Someone to cry at our tales of woe. Maybe that's who you are Makoto. The audience of our story. After all talking to an empty room is sad but pouring your heart out to one person who listens and reacts the way you have been craving is addicting, intimate. No wonder everyone is so fond of you."

"I don't think I understand Sosuke, if you want to talk, you didn't have to take me for a drive, why are we here?"

"That seems hardly fair Makoto. You wanted to talk where? With Haru over you, protecting you? Kisumi standing nearby, with Rin and Gou shielding you? Did you listen to Rin with Haru around? Kisumi? Did you listen to Hayato with anyone else? Haru? How could we have talked anywhere other than a drive? How else could I have gotten you away?"

"To get me away?" Makoto asked uneasily.

"Of course, you're my last piece. You've made knights in shinning armor out of fallen kings. The plan has changed multiple times, at first I planned to use Hayato to diffuse Kisumi but then realized it'd work better as a distraction. It'll be hard for Haru to pull Kisumi to his aid when he's reunited with his young brother and too lost within his own home and with his family he thought he'd lost. And without you by his side Haru would do anything. Even die. With the carnage and with Kisumi grasping onto his brother he would run and I could save them, I could go into that little beach house as they slept, I could burn their diaries, their memories of everything. All our adventures, all our sorrows would go up in flame and then with no back ups I could free them, send them out into the world to have lives. I could force Kisumi and Hayato to break the last treaty and I could finally remove myself from this world knowing those I love are finally free."

"You can't! It's not what they want!"

"Oh Makoto, you're only human. Only, what 17? You're so utterly fragile. If I crashed this car, at this speed, my treaties, my magic would keep me alive, would mend my bones, regrow my skin, but you, oh Makoto you would be in pieces, unrecognizable pieces. So please, don't test me."

"What about my family? You said you'd give me the key."

"I did. And here's your key. I'm sure Kisumi told you that it was timed and I'm sure at this point he's worn himself out, to the point he can't use any big magic, especially after helping Hayato become his real age, to make my spell safer. It's for only one more night. They'll wake tomorrow as the sun rises and falls upon their skin."

Makoto sat back and breathed out a sigh of relief. He looked at Sosuke and smiled softly, "So you tricked me."

"You've caught on."

"Sosuke," Makoto said, placing his hand gently on Sosuke's arm. "You mean a lot to them, to Rin and Gou. I'm sure they understand, but they don't want you to give them what you think is a happy ending. I saw the way they looked at you, the way Rin looked at you. You are their happy ending. Even if they're upset you'd be better at their side. You are their family," Makoto said moving to hold onto the bar of the door, threw his other arm over Sosuke's chest and then rammed his foot on the break, kicking Sosuke's foot off the pedal. They slammed to a stop, the car making an unearthly scream as it pulled to a stop and smoke rose around them. He flicked off his belt, kicked open his door, turned to Sosuke and held out the poison vial, "I will be your audience. I will be your friend. That is who I am. But I won't be a pawn to your self-destruction," Makoto said before darting out of the car and running, followed by a string of curses as Sosuke fought to get out of his seat belt and turning off the car.

Makoto ran, holding the vial securely in hand. The sky was clear and blue. He heard the door to the car open and he found himself scrambling on the edge of a cliff, the ocean below. Makoto turned, saw Sosuke getting closer rubbing his shoulder, running towards him, so he turned and jumped.


	14. Hollow Home

"What do you mean?" Haru asked arms folded, following Sosuke and Rin across the beach, with Gou, Aii, Momo, Kisumi and Hayato trailing behind them.

Sosuke sighed and rubbed at his forehead, "For the 20th time he jumped."

"From where?" Haru asked.

Sosuke pointed once again up to the cliff.

"Wh-"

"Haru!" Sosuke said spinning and putting his hands on Haru's shoulders, shaking him. "He jumped. He didn't fall. I didn't push him. I didn't threaten him to do so. He just did it. He forced the car to a stop. He ran. He jumped. Okay? I don't know where exactly he fell, by the time I got to the edge and looked out I couldn't see anything."

Haru pushed Sosuke off of him and walked past him, looking up at the cliff, adrenaline fueled by panic, unsure whether to fight or flee ran through his body.

"Hey," Kisumi said softly. "We should split up. We'll let you know if we find him. We're going to take a boat out that way. Aii and Momo are going to take another boat the other way and maybe the beach should be checked in case he's gotten to shore."

The group scattered, Haru diving into the ocean to look for Makoto.

* * *

"It's easy, come on: A real estate agent received a 6% commission on the selling price of a house. If they're commission was $8,880, what was the selling price of the house?"

"Easy? How is that easy? I don't even have paper! I'm going to fail and you're not being helpful!"

"I am too! You'd have paper if we stayed home like I suggested but no, you were hungry."

"I was, absolutely starving! You wouldn't make me starve would you?"

"I had food! We could have eaten at my house!"

"But barley tea? Salads with peppers and onions? No thanks. I wanted something that actually tastes good. What are you an old man?"

"Cake though? How is that helpful to anything other than tooth decay?"

"Sugar jump starts my brain, Rei. I'll be ready to solve problems like a pro in just a few minutes."

"Really Nagisa? Then why are we walking the beach? You've walked us as far away from my house as possible."

Plastic crinkled as it hit the ground, what was left of a strawberry cake, fell and bounced through the grass. Nagisa hit Rei repeatedly on the chest, mouth full of strawberry cake and gesturing wildly out at the sea.

"Nagisa?" Rei asked, catching his hand and holding it away from bruising his chest while peering closer towards the ocean.

"When was the last time you heard from Makoto?" Nagisa asked gravely with undertones of panic.

"No," Rei said softly running down the path, followed by Nagisa towards the inlet.

Amongst the seaweed and mud was a body. Brown hair wet and clinging to a pale face. Both Nagisa and Rei sunk into the weedy muddy water carefully retrieving Makoto and pulling him towards the shore.

"Makoto?" Nagisa asked looking from Makoto to Rei in panic.

"What's he doing here? He's not okay with the ocean. I mean for trips with Dewdrop that was fine but he usually stayed ashore, right? What's he doing in the water?" Rei whispered as they pulled him onto shore. He felt a sudden chill, as he searched for breath and life. Finding nothing he dug the palms of his hands into Makoto's chest, arms straight with rhythm, giving a nod to Nagisa when it was time for an exchange of breath. Water dripped down their arms, gravely dirt clung to their wet knees as the skies turned gray and a summer storm rolled in. They worked constantly and quietly until their legs fell asleep and their arms burned like their eyes and throats.

Lightning struck and Makoto was up, coughing up water and shaking, "Haru," he murmured before passing out into Nagisa and Rei's arms who looked at each other, tears falling from their eyes as they held him close and cried.

After sitting in the rain long enough to be soaked through and exhausted they carefully untangled their limbs. Rei walked off to make a call and Nagisa sat with Makoto's head resting in his lap, sniffing and rubbing his eyes with one hand, and running his hands through Makoto's hair with another. Waiting for his heart to calm, watching Makoto's chest rise and fall in a simple reassurance that a nightmare had been averted. Rei came back, shoving his phone in his pocket.

"It's best if we take him home, the storms worse inland, the hospitals running on back up energy, lightning's taken out the power grid. His parents didn't pick up either. We're on our own. Perfect time for a bad storm, huh?" Rei said, turning and kneeling in the mud with his back to Nagisa and Makoto, "Come on I'll carry him."

Nagisa carefully put Makoto over Rei's back who hooked his arms under Makoto and stood carefully, swaying a little. Something glittered and fell and Nagisa stopped to scoop it up, a small vial, black, silver and ornate. Rei was already working his way up back to the main path so Nagisa shoved it in his pocket and ran after him.

Their walk home was quiet, Makoto's house was closer so they went there. The white cat that always hung around was standing outside and hiding under eaves from the rain. They pushed through the gate and up to the house as lightning struck. They both stood on in the front yard looking up at the house unable to walk forward like they had a million times before. It was different, strange. No lights were on, the normal warmth of the house seemed absent, almost haunted. It was too quiet for a house so full of love and such a happy bustling family. Where was everyone?

"Rei, Do you think-"

"No, Nagisa, we can't assume. Let's go in," Rei said bowing his head and pushing forward to the front door, then turning towards Nagisa who rushed forward, grabbed the spare key from the potted plant and went to put it in the door but the door swung open.

"Rei-"

"Slam the door open," Rei said.

"What? Why?"

"Scare anything that the rightful owners are probably home and that they should run if they don't want to get caught."

"Yeah but what if someone wants to murder anyone? Then our element of surprise is gone."

"Nagisa, he's starting to slip. I've got to put him down, everything is too wet."

Nagisa frowned, biting his lower lip and grabbed the door knob and slammed it open. The echo filled the empty house but nothing moved. No birds flew from the trees in surprise. Nagisa went in, kicking his shoes off. He grabbed a big umbrella and ran through the house. He tried the lights but nothing worked and called as he went, "Mr and Mrs. Tachibana! Ren! Ran!" but no one responded. Once the house was fully empty and verified as empty he returned to Rei who was slumped in the entry hall trying to catch his breath, Makoto lying on his side. With only a big flash light to guide them.

"Safe," Nagisa said, darting over them and shutting and locking the front door.

"No one's here?" Rei asked.

"No."

"We can't worry about that now," Rei said pushing himself up, "We've got to dry off and get Makoto in better clothes or else we'll all get super sick."

Nagisa ran off to get towels and came back. They sat together drying him off and themselves and Nagisa ran off to ransack Makoto's closet for clothes. They carried Makoto to bed, tucked him in and sat in his bed room.

"Where do you think his parents are?" Nagisa asked.

"I don't know, but I don't like this," Rei murmured. "We can't leave him alone. I'm going to tell my parents we're here. You should do the same, we're not getting home in this storm."

Nagisa nodded, digging through his pockets and pulling out his phone, the vial falling out and rolling on the floor. Nagisa caught it and put it carefully on Makoto's desk before calling home. After their parents agreed it was best they sat down, leaning against each other on Makoto's floor with a deep sigh.

"Today..."

"sucked."

"He's alive though."

"I hope his parents, Ren and Ran are-"

"They have to be-"

"What was it he said when he came to?"

"Haru."

"Are you sure."

"Positive."

"Do you know a Haru?"

"No."

"Think it's his girlfriend?"

"I- I hope we didn't miss someone."

"me too."

Nagisa's hand found Rei's and gave it a squeeze. Rei sighed, took off his glasses and rubbed his face, "I'm going to make soup, do you want soup?"

"Soup sounds nice," Nagisa said softly, his throat scratchy again and eyes burning, sight blurring.

Rei gave Nagisa's hand a squeeze back and headed down stairs to the kitchen to the gas stove with matches. Nagisa pulled his legs up to his chest, reached out, into the bed and took Makoto's hand in his own, placing it atop his head, the way he was use to, he could hear Makoto's laughter in his memories and he tried to blink away the tears but couldn't. His heart ached, his body felt drained, he felt sick. But there was warmth in the hand on his head, under his own. Warmth that hadn't been there when they'd found him. He strained to listen for the sound of Makoto's breath, for Rei working in the kitchen, talking to himself to dispel the quiet.

"The Tachibana's have a gas stove. But gas stoves now use electricity to start. But that's where matches come in handy. Ow! Except when you burn yourself. That's not beautiful. Oh! There we are, that's beautiful. A welcome sight of fire. Let's see, there's a pan, and what kinda soup do they have, what sounds good. Ooh barley soup."

Nagisa laughed through his tears and sniffed, cleared his throat, "No barely soup you old man!" he called.

"No barely soup, got it. Chicken and dumplings?"

"Yes!" Nagisa said.

"Now where is that can opener, oh here we are. Which way does it go again? Oh I guess that works. Pah! It went everywhere. Luckily most is still in the can, but, well I guess I can't see anyway so if it's on my glasses that's okay. 5 minutes Nagisa."

The five minutes took forever. Nagisa hadn't moved, from where he sat curled at Makoto's bed with his hand in his own, feeling Makoto's heartbeat as reassurance. He didn't move when Rei came in. Rei sat across from him, placed a bowl of hot soup next to Nagisa with a spoon, lit a candle and set it nearby. The rain beat against the window and Nagisa soon pulled away, gently tucking Makoto's hand back into the bed and picked up his soup. He sniffed.

"I keep thinking."

"Don't," Rei said softly.

"I can't help it," Nagisa's voice cracked.

"What if we didn't get there in time? What if we still didn't? Like there's all those stories of brain damage if there's not enough oxygen and what if we missed someone. Where's everyone? What if, what if people are dead because we didn't see them?"

"Hey," Rei said, setting down his soup and moving to sit next to him, wrapping his arms around Nagisa, "We can't think about it. Not until Makoto wakes up and tells us himself what happened. Until then, let's just be happy we got him."

"But what if he'd been gone? What if he'd died? What if I hadn't noticed him? I was so sure when I saw him, floating like that- he was so cold," Nagisa sat his bowl down, tears coming back, holding onto Rei's shirt, crying, breathing unevenly and choppy.

"I know. I know. There are so many what if's."

After awhile his sobs subsided and he looked up at Rei, who had set his glasses on the desk and had tears running down his face. Nagisa took Rei's hand in his own and sat leaning against him, eating his soup. Rei picked his up too and finished his.

"Nagisa,"

"Yeah?"

"It's not going to be comfortable but it should be do-able, I don't want him to wake up alone. Let's sleep in Makoto's bed with him."

"Okay."

Rei picked up their bowls, set them aside and picked up the flash light. "I'm going to brush my teeth before bed."

"Ah, me to. There were onions in that wasn't there?"

"Maybe," Rei said with a small smile.

Nagisa pouted but smiled.

"I'm scared I'll have nightmares." Rei said, pulling out the packaged guest toothbrushes marked under the sink.

"Hmm?" Nagisa said scrubbing his tongue.

"I want to sleep in Makoto's bed, with Makoto because I'm scared," Rei said, shivering in the dark but weird glow of their awkwardly balanced flashlight in the bathroom, filling his toothbrush with a practiced amount of toothpaste.

"I- I want to, if I wake up, wake up and look at him and know he's okay," Rei said, putting the wet toothbrush in the cup by the sink and taking a sip of water.

Nagisa grabbed the flash light, took Rei's hand in his own, stood up on tip toes and kissed Rei gently before leading him out of the bathroom. "I understand. I'm sure Makoto won't mind. I don't want to sleep alone either. Everything is too quiet. I don't like how hollow I feel."

Rei followed rubbing his eyes.

Nagisa giggled pulling back the covers of Makoto's bed.

"What is it Nagisa?" Rei asked uneasily.

"Makoto is going to be so embarrassed when he wakes up in the morning."

Rei laughed and shook his head, following Nagisa into the bed. Nagisa made his way over to the wall and they turned looking at each other over Makoto's sleeping body.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Nagisa asked seriously.

"I don't know. I don't know how long he was like that, how long he was unconscious, how long everything stopped working. I called the hospital and they said that once he's awake in the morning, to do a series of checks. If he responds negatively we've got to rush him over. If it's okay then he's just got to stop by sometime later in the day or the next for a check up. But I don't want to think about it. About how long he could have been out there and what could have happened. All I can do is hope," Rei said softly.

"It's all we can do," Nagisa murmured.

Rei nodded, took a deep shaky breath and kissed Nagisa gently before curling up next to Makoto on the bed, resting one arm on his chest, reassured by the instant feeling of it's movements. He felt Nagisa's hand meet his and take his on Makoto's chest and smiled softly. "Be okay Makoto," Rei whispered in the darkness.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Answer to Rei's math problem: $148,000 ( )

Note: In all cases of near-drowning it is best to visit a medical professional even if the victim seems to be okay and to have recovered, some internal problems can be delayed. The longer a person went without oxygen the worse these problems could be. Please stay safe. 3


	15. Back to the Beginning

Breathing hurt. It felt jagged. Like something was broken and rattling around. He was warm, too warm and his chest felt heavy. His throat felt raw, like the seawater he'd swallowed had been sandpaper.

"Ha-ru?" Makoto murmured pushing himself up with difficulty. His limbs were unwieldy, heavy, sore.

"He's awake! Nagisa, get up!" a familiar voice said beside him, he felt movement beside him.

Makoto opened his eyes and saw the worried puffy eyes of Rei and Nagisa.

"Hey," Nagisa said softly.

"H-i," Makoto croaked.

"We brought you home, your in your own bed. Do you, do you want anything?"

"Wa-ter," Makoto said, coughing.

Nagisa gave Rei a look before scrambling out of the bed and off to procure water. Rei got up and got clothes out for Makoto, sighing in relief as the lights turned on and folded the clothes neatly on the edge of the bed. He sat facing Makoto, smiled in a way filled with sorrow that hurt Makoto at his core. Rei took a deep breath.

"We- Nagisa and I, found you last night. There was a storm, the power was knocked out. I'm not sure where your family is. I wasn't able to get ahold of them. I've called them, a lot. I'm not sure how long you were out. I'm sure you're not feeling well, but you should probably get a check up sometime soon, just to be careful. You may want to take a shower if you're up for it. But take your time, okay. I'm just- We're just, happy you're okay," Rei said

"The powers back on," Nagisa said as he rushed back in with water, handing it to Makoto.

Makoto took it and drank it, too fast, it felt like he was dislodging glass shards.

"I've got to find Haru," Makoto said pushing himself out of bed, stumbling but catching himself.

"We'll help," Rei said putting his hand on Makotos. "But take a shower, eat something small and then we'll go, okay?"

Makoto frowned but saw the look in Rei's eyes and nodded, walking towards the bathroom.

"I want to know what happened," Nagisa said.

"He doesn't have to tell us," Rei said. "He may not remember."

Makoto sighed as he shut the door. He didn't want to drag Nagisa or Rei into it, but he didn't think he could leave without them, and if he did it would probably hurt them in an irreparable way. The hot water felt amazing, except where it stung. His body was bruised and sore but didn't feel broken or busted. He remembered jumping, remembered the gray clouds in the distance as he fell, remembered how to dive properly but then he panicked. He panicked because it was the ocean. The ocean that tended to always try and knock him out. Tried to take things away. Dewdrop, his breath, friends in storms all seemed to disappear beneath the waves. He lasted awhile before it got him underwater, turned around, not knowing which way was up, and then everything just went black. Peaceful. Floating. Quiet. At this point he'd definably missed his picnic date with Haru. He'd hoped, maybe if he jumped he could swim back to shore and walk up onto the beach to catch Haru before he got worried. But now, Makoto didn't want to think about it, he just wanted to hurry and get to Haru.

"Rei!" Makoto called suddenly.

He heard scrambling as Rei opened the door in a hurry, "Is everything okay?"

"Call Kisumi," Makoto said.

"Kisumi? Wha-okay, what should I say?" Rei asked grabbing his phone and dialing the number.

"Ask where he is. That's where we're going," Makoto said grabbing his towel and the clothes Rei handed him before Rei left to talk to Kisumi.

When Makoto was dressed he found Nagisa and Rei downstairs, waiting in the kitchen with toast waiting.

"We figured you're in a hurry," Nagisa explained.

"I am, thank you. Where is he?" Makoto asked grabbing toast and going to the door.

"Out by the beach. He didn't sound good. What's going on?" Rei asked.

"It's a long story, and one I'm not sure I can actually fully explain since a lot of it isn't my own."

"Well, we've got a bit of a walk, explain what you can on the way," Nagisa said shutting the door behind them.

Makoto tried, the best way he could, glossing over magic, history, seemingly immortal beings, and violence. He did his best to down play his kidnappings and to try and make his jump off the cliff sound more like poor choices quickly regretted then planned out spur of the moment escapes to save people he cared for. He said his family was at Kisumi's enjoying a relaxing spa time where they'd turned off their phones. He twisted the truth in such an awkward way that it felt weird on his tongue, he tried to tell the truth the best he could. They followed a map on Rei's phone to the address Kisumi had sent him and found themselves on the beach in front of a big house. Sitting on the steps was Hayato, who spotting Makoto, scrambled onto his feet and came running to them.

"Haru?" Nagisa asked quietly.

"No, Kisumi's younger brother, Hayato." Makoto said.

"So pink hair is a natural family trait. That seems illogical," Rei murmured, "But I suppose anything is possible."

Hayato threw himself at Makoto, "You're okay!" he said pulling him to a hug.

"Sore, but, yeah. Where's Haru?"

"Who are they?" Hayato asked.

"Hayto this is Nagisa and Rei. They're friends with Kisumi and me."

"Oh!" Hayato said with a smile, "Nice to meet you. You may want to wait with me," Hayato said walking them up to the house. "Wait on the porch, I'll be right back. Do you like muffins? My brother's been baking all night. I think it's a stress mechanism. I'm going to gain a lot of weight."

Rei and Nagisa sat in the chairs Hayato pointed to and Makoto followed Hayato quietly inside. He heard voices in the distance, angry, arguing. The house smelled of sweets, warm with cinnamon and nutmeg.

"They had to sedate Haru. It got really bad. He refused to stop looking for you. They had to pull him out of the ocean. It wasn't a pretty scene. I've never heard anyone scream like that and I'd thought I heard all of the types of screams. We may need to get you a tracker or something. You can't just disappear into the ocean, okay? I've never seen my brother like this. He mentioned you don't particularly like the ocean either," Hayato whispered, leading Makoto quietly through the house.

"Whose arguing?"

"Rin and Sosuke. Rin's angry that Sosuke tricked you like that and threatened you. He came clean about all of it after you jumped. I think they're trying to filter through everything to find even ground again. It may take awhile. They're trying to understand each other. Occasionally Momo and Aii have to interfere because they use magic. It's why I've been chilling outside. Here we are. Haru's in here. He should be awake by now. Be careful. He's really unhappy. He might not realize it's you at first," Hayato said opening the door.

Makoto ducked into a room filled with darkness and heard the door shut and lock behind him. The furniture was upturned, lamps were broken and shards of glass littered the floor. Makoto moved slowly, eyes adjusting to the darkness. He strained to see Haru. He felt his foot hit something and tripped, landing hard on the ground. He felt weight on his back, his arm twisted behind his back and something cold against his neck.

"Let me out now."

"Ha-"

"Let me out, I refuse to be a prisoner again."

Makoto used his free hand and found Haru's wrist and grabbed it. He saw where the pillows had been tossed off the bed and twisted, throwing Haru off of him, pushing Haru's hand away from his neck and falling with him onto the pillows. He moved quickly and grabbed Haru's wrists and held them away from him. Haru struggled in his grip and he forced the shard of glass from Haru's hand and kicked it away from them before letting go of Haru's wrists.

"Haru," Makoto said softly taking one of Haru's hands gently in his own.

"I don't like your tricks."

"Haru."

"He's dead isn't he? You took him away didn't you?"

Makoto felt him shaking and took Haru's hand and placed it over his heart.

"What are you doing?"

"Haru, close your eyes. Just feel. Just listen."

Haru struggled against him but Makoto didn't let go. He leaned his head down and pressed it against Haru's.

"I'm sorry Haru. I'm sorry I missed our picnic. I'm here, I'm okay."

Haru yanked his hand out of Makoto's and slammed him down on the pillows.

"Haru?"

Makoto felt hands searching through his pockets, empty pockets. They were cold as they ran under his shirt and over his chest.

"Haru?" Makoto squeaked.

"If you are Makoto and not something Rin or Sosuke has sent to calm me. Then why'd you jump?"

Something in Haru's voice, sent a shiver down Makoto's spine.

"I didn't want him to use me as a pawn to hurt you. Without me in his hands you were safe and he said my family would be safe. I thought-I hoped I could handle the ocean and find my way back for our picnic, but I freaked out and couldn't find the surface and Rei and Nagisa found me and took me home."

"In my kingdom, as king, even as a prince, I could have anything in the world I wanted. Life, death, it was something I could choose at a whim and my advisors would spin it like magic to assure the people that I had their best interest at heart. I rarely used that ability. It was boring to toy with lives, and I didn't want to. There was nothing in the world I wanted to abuse my position for. When I was cursed I hoped maybe it would all just stop. Without a kingdom I no longer had any pressures. No one would have to ask me what I wanted. Because I didn't want anything. Even when I was a cat, I thought I deserved everything. And I thought all I wanted was to be free and rid of Rin."

Makoto could make out Haru in the dim lighting, sitting on him, lifting one cold hand from his chest and gently touching Makoto's hair, as if he was checking what was under him was real. Haru sighed running a shaky hand down the side of Makoto's face and running a thumb over Makoto's lower lip.

"I've never felt this crushing panic before. My veins feel like they're filled with ice. It's hard to breathe. It feels like I'm dreaming. My heart pounds in my chest in a way it never has before. I feel sick, like I'm loosing who I am. I've been through a lot. I worry I'm loosing my mind. That some trick of Rin's, some trick of fate has made me a hallucination that is more of a dream. A dream so utterly warm and safe that I can't live with out it, that I don't want to wake up. I've never wanted anything like this before. If I had my kingdom, if I had any of the power I wielded before I would use it all just to keep you safe at my side. I would easily give it all up for you as well. But I have none of it. And I've never felt so helpless. I thought I was strong. But I don't feel strong enough. You seem so fragile after years of living with magical beings and being unable to die. To know that I can't demand the ocean to give you back. That screaming into the wind does nothing. I had a taste of it when you swam out to get me, scared off the gulls and when I turned around you were gone. I have had so many nightmares. But now they are all the same, living or asleep, you are gone, somewhere I don't think I can go. I don't know what to do with myself. I don't know how to protect you. I don't know how to be normal, or human any more. All I know is that I will do everything I can to stay with you for as long as you'll have me. All I want in this world is you," Haru leaned down and kissed Makoto.

Makoto wrapped his arms around Haru, pulling him closer, surprised as Haru bit his lip and pulled back.

"There's a point. Don't sacrifice yourself for me. I've lived a very long time. You've barely lived at all. My happiness is with you not without you."

"You're mad at me," Makoto said surprised, at Haru's tone.

"I'm feeling a lot, it's overwhelming," Haru said.

"I'm sorry." Makoto said moving to sit up, only to be pushed back down by Haru.

"Why are you sorry?" haru asked.

"I didn't mean to cause you any concern or pain."

"Why did you take the poison?"

"In case I didn't make it to the cliff, I-"

"You were going to take it, weren't you?"

"I- thought if it came to that then I'd rather not leave bloodshed in my wake. I thought if it was just me then maybe I could save everyone else," Makoto said moving to sit up again.

"Stay down," Haru said pushing him back down. "How could you think that was okay? As long as we're alive, as long as we're together there are other options, better options. There's a chance of saving ourselves and each other."

"This feels familiar, you really are mad at me" Makoto murmured.

"What?"

"You'd do this when you were angry. You'd sit on my chest and swat at me with your paw if I moved," Makoto said with a smile.

Haru stiffened on top of him, "So what if I am mad? Stay down until it's okay for you to get up. I'll let you know."

Makoto shifted into a more comfortable position on the pillows and gently touched Haru's hand. Haru shifted and kissed Makoto's neck, small feathery kisses. Makoto shut his eyes, felt the pain in his chest, how Haru was laying on him, but carefully, like he knew that Makoto's body was bruised. He felt pressure on his neck, pleasant at first until it was sharp and hurt.

"Haru! What are you doing?"

"I want to retry our picnic date. And I want to go to the water park. Though, you may be a bit too embarrassed to go swimming anytime soon after I'm done with you."

"Haru!" Makoto squeaked, turning red in the darkness, feeling Haru smile against his skin.

* * *

"Here," Hayato said handing smoothies to Rei and Nagisa and sitting down next to them.

"Thanks," Rei said.

"I never realized there was a house here, and I didn't know Kisumi had a little brother."

"We've been unable to see each other for a long time," Hayato said.

"Whose Haru?"

"If I had to give him a simple label that would be really hard, but I'm guessing a lot of it isn't what your curious about," Hayato had a thoughtful frown on his face as he looked out at the ocean, "I'd say, for your curiosities sake, he's Makoto's beau, or they're pretty keen, umm, he's courting Makoto, his lover, boyfriend? I forget what the popular term is."

"What? Where did they meet? How'd they meet?" Nagisa said excitedly, turning to Rei, "Why didn't he tell us?"

"We've been pretty busy Nagisa, we've been trying to get you to pass summer school, remember? We've had to cancel our plans with Makoto about 80% of the times he's invited us to do things."

"Wait, is that why we're outside? Because they're like, newly weds?"

"No. I-well-maybe. It's more that everyone is mad as hops. There's a lot of arguing going on in there. And Haru, Haru was suppose to be having a seaside picnic with Makoto when he'd gone off and jumped off the cliff. And we spent all night searching for him... it didn't go well and Haru didn't take it well."

"It wasn't a good night," Rei said with a shudder.

"I want to meet him. What do you think he's like Rei?"

"I'd rather not guess. I'm sure I'd be wrong."

"You're no fun Rei."

"Hayato!" Kisumi called opening the window. "Bring them in, we're going to sit and have muffins, or cake, or brownies, or cookies. Whatever you guys want."

"Come on," Hayato said standing and leading them inside.

Rei and Nagisa were led down white tiled halls into a living room where a red haired girl sat on the couch, between two men, one tall and of a bigger build with black hair and a smaller one, taller than her with red hair and a sharks smile. A gray haired man and an orange haired man sat in chairs nearby. Kisumi sat out platters of sweets. Cakes, scones, cookies, brownies, muffins, cupcakes and pastries, all were crowded onto the table in the middle of the room.

Rei and Nagisa took a seat on another couch. Kisumi poured cups of coffee and tea, handing hot chocolate to Nagisa and sat next to them. He was pale and had bags under his eyes.

"So why are you here?" Kisumi asked cutting them slices of cake and filling up plates and passing them to Nagisa and Rei.

"Rei didn't tell you?" Nagisa asked.

"I'm afraid I've been a bit, worried, to really have paid too much attention to our conversation, I apologize."

"We found Makoto," Rei said watching the people sitting around carefully. Everyone looked up in surprise.

"Where is he?" Rin asked.

"Where did you find him?" Sosuke asked.

"Is he okay?" Kisumi asked.

"So all of you do know him," Rei murmured.

"He's with Haru, Hayato took him to him after we arrived about an hour ago," Nagisa said picking up a chocolate muffin and taking a bite.

Kisumi turned to look at Hayato who gave a sheepish smile under his brothers gaze. Kisumi sighed sinking into the furniture, "So he's okay. Thank goodness."

"Is he safe here?" Rei asked.

"What do you mean?" Rin asked stiffly.

"Makoto explained what happened, but it doesn't add up. He wasn't lying. He doesn't do that, but he twisted the truth so much he was uncomfortable. When we found him, his heart had stopped, he wasn't breathing. He washed up in the reeds and based on how he said his family should be here but I haven't seen them yet and no one has rushed to get them I'd assume that he didn't just jump out of a silly choice that he tried to make us believe. Makoto isn't like that. He doesn't make foolish choices regarding the ocean, or anything really. He's one of the best prepared people I know. From having two younger siblings he cares for deeply we know he's practically prepared for anything and everything which means he came up against something he didn't know how to handle. And you all look guilty but relieved that he's alive. Which makes me worried. What did you do to him? Where is his family?"

"They're still asleep. I didn't want them to wake to him missing, so we extended their sleep spell," Sosuke said.

"Sleep spell?"

"There's no point in hiding it," Sosuke said with a sigh.

* * *

"Haru," Makoto gasped when Haru pulled away letting Makoto breath again from his barrage of kisses. Haru stood up carefully and held a hand out for Makoto. Makoto sat up blushing darkly.

"I adore you," Haru said softly as Makoto's hand took his, "I love you." He kissed Makoto again before he could speak and led him through the bathroom into another room that was bright and well lit. In the beds were the Tachibana's. Sleeping peacefully.

"I should have taken you here first," Haru said softly.

"They're not awake." There was despair and thinly veiled panic in Makoto's voice.

"Sosuke didn't want them to wake up without you. You're the new key. They'll wake up and be transported home. Kiss their foreheads."

Makoto took a deep breath and one by one kissed the top of his siblings heads and watched them disappear, tears filling his eyes. As his parents disappeared he sunk onto the edge of the bed.

Haru sat next to him, wrapping his arms around Makoto as he cried.

"They're safe, everything's okay now," Haru murmured.

Makoto held onto Haru, as Haru slid his fingers through his hair, holding him close in the empty room.

* * *

"Should we make sure they're okay?" Nagisa asked.

"It's been awhile, probably. I should at least unlock the door," Hayato said standing.

Kisumi, Rin, and Sosuke followed him to the bedroom as Hayato unlocked it. The room was dark and empty with broken glass and pottery on the floor. Kisumi rushed in, looking around.

"Makoto? Haru?" He called, as Rin opened the curtains and, letting light flood in.

"They're not here," Hayato said.

Sosuke opened the door to the bathroom with it's busted lock.

"Don't panic yet," he said walking though into the other room. He stopped suddenly. Kisumi and Rin walking into him. Peering around him at Haru who was sitting on the bed with Makoto in his arms, crying. Haru looked up at them and tightened his arms around Makoto.

Rin stepped around Sosuke and Kisumi turned around and left without a word. Rin looked up at Sosuke who seemed rooted in the spot with more emotion in his eyes than Rin had seen in a long time, if ever.

"Hey Makoto," Rin said softly, "Do you want to go home?"

Makoto shook his head, not lifting his head to see who had come in.

Rin looked at Haru then sighed, "Take your time, we'll all be out in the main room. Kisumi's been baking forever so there's plenty if you want anything, we'll wait for you," he said shoving his hands awkwardly in his pockets and turning to leave. After a couple minutes he came back, grabbed Sosuke's hand and pulled him from the room.

Quiet filled the room, only interrupted by Kisumi, not saying a word, but with his arms full, soft blankets, tissues, and steaming cups of herbal tea. He sat them within reach before leaving and quietly shutting the door behind him.

Haru relaxed and pulled the blankets up around them, kissing the top of Makoto's head and holding him close.

"I've got you, I won't let go," Haru said softly.

"Their safe, your'e safe. I-I shouldn't be crying. I don't know why I am, I just- I can't seem to stop, I'm sorry," Makoto said taking shaky breaths, sniffing and rubbing at his eyes, looking up at Haru.

"You don't need to apologize or even understand. You've been through a lot, and even if you hadn't," Haru said taking Makoto's hands in his own and kissing each in turn. "Feel what you're feeling, it's what makes you alive, human."

* * *

It took several hours for Makoto and Haru to leave the room. After awhile Makoto calmed down, they drank the tea, and just laid together under the blankets, listening to each other breathe and feeling comforted by the sound of the others heart beat until it lulled them to asleep.

Makoto was half asleep, but determined to leave the room, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders and his hand firmly in Haru's when they finally joined everyone else. Makoto sunk onto the couch with Haru.

"Hey," Kisumi said softly with a small smile.

"Hi," Makoto said just as quietly, taking a gingerbread cookie from the plate Kisumi held to him.

Haru moved wrapping his arms around Makoto's waist, seeming to try and find a way to hide Makoto from the others but being too small to sufficiently do so. He just stared at the others with a look of challenging that no one was interested in taking up.

"Haru I should assume?" Rei asked.

"We've met," Haru said dismissively.

"We have?"

"You're really bad with a cat toy. Physics doesn't work with cats,"

"Wait, I thought you were joking about the cat part," Rei said surprised looking at Sosuke and Rin.

"We weren't joking or lying about anything," Rin said.

"What happens now?" Haru asked.

"What do you mean?" Gou asked.

"I know what I want from life, for the first time, ever. I want to know if I'm going to have to fight you for my own happiness. Are we done? Are our debts paid? Because every time I've ever thought I was free something comes up and I figure this time I should ask first," Haru said bitterly.

"With everything that has happened I think it's best if we go our separate ways for awhile," Rin said. "I know Hayato and Kisumi have a lot of catching up to do, and I have a lot to think about and so does Sosuke. Oh don't give me that look Haru, It's not you, I need to come to terms with everything. You know how it is. Thinking you know something and then finding out millinea have been fueled by misconceptions. So I think Gou and I are going to travel to-"

"No," Gou said.

"What?" Rin said turning to his sister surprised.

"I'm not going to travel the world with you anymore," Gou said. "I've been getting paperwork together and I've been saving, and I applied for school. I've learned a lot with you brother, but honestly, I need to get out, be my own person. Meet new people, make mistakes, learn, and grow. Sorry, but I'm not going to join you. It's not your fault, I don't blame you for anything, I planned this awhile ago."

"You never mentioned-"

"We've been a bit busy."

"I see," Rin said sitting back and looking deeply into his cup of coffee.

"I think what Rin means," Kisumi said smiling at Haru, "Is that this is probably goodbye for awhile. So, you're finally free."

"Then let's go," Haru said standing and pulling Makoto up with him.

"I'd like to say goodbye first Haru," Makoto said, gently squeezing Haru's hand.

"I'll send you home if you'd like," Kisumi said standing as well, "It'll be quick if you want."

"I think we'll walk actually, I think the less magic maybe the better, for the time being," Makoto said with a smile.

"Of course."

Haru carefully let go of Makoto's hand but stood nearby as he said goodbye to his new friends and Haru's old enemies. Gou hugged him, "I'm going to e-mail you with questions, help me pretend to be normal, okay?"

Rin tried to just shake his hand but ended up hugging him despite the daggers Haru shot him, longer then expected, partially out of need and partially to annoy Haru.

"Take care of yourself, I'm sure I'll see you again," Rin said with a smile and kissing him on the cheek.

Hayato gave him a rib crushing hug, "Can I send you some of this stuff Kisumi bakes? It's going to go to waste or I'm going to explode if he makes me eat it all."

Makoto laughed, "Sure, I'll take some, my siblings will love some sweets."

"Let's go swimming again sometime, okay?" Hayato asked.

"Yes, sounds good," Makoto said watching him run off to put together sweets to take home.

"I'm sorry," Sosuke said softly standing before Makoto awkwardly.

"Did you tell Rin?" Makoto asked softly.

"Yes, I'm going to meet him in Brisbane in a couple of months to see where we are. It may not seem like much, coming from me, but I want you to be happy. We need to learn- I need to learn how to find happiness again, but I think you've set us on the path to relearn it," Sosuke said. "So thank you."

Hayato came out, handing the bags of food to Rei.

Kisumi hugged Makoto tightly, "We'll keep in touch, like always. Hayato and I won't be going to far, and you and Haru are always welcome, wherever we call home."

Makoto smiled, hugging Kisumi back, surprised when he felt weight on his shoulder and heat on his back and heard Kisumi laugh. He felt lips on his neck and turned bright red as arms wrapped around his stomach.

"Let's go home," Haru murmured against his neck.

"Jealous Haru?" Kisumi asked, not letting go of Makoto.

Haru didn't respond to Kisumi but Makoto felt his grip tighten and the unspoken words in the air, blood rushing to his face.

"I'll see you later Kisumi," Makoto said letting go and nearly loosing his balance and Haru took his hand quickly as soon as Kisumi let go and nearly ran for the door.

Nagisa and Rei followed after them, arms full of snacks from Hayato.

Haru ran down the beach with Makoto and kept running, through the forest and until they were close to home.

"Haru?" Makoto asked, out of breath and sinking into a bench.

Haru sat next to him, "I didn't want them to have time to change their mind."

Makoto held Haru's hand tightly and ran his thumb over the back of Haru's hand. When he caught his breath he smiled at Haru, "Did you see where we stopped?"

Haru looked around confused.

Makoto pointed out down the path towards a busy road. "A long long time ago, a boy saved a cat in the middle of that road. They came here and sat on this bench for hours until it got dark and the boy ran home followed by the cat who would change the boys life forever."

"You changed my life forever," Haru said softly.

Makoto smiled, leaned forward and captured Haru's lips in his own. Kissing him gently in the place they'd met, ignoring the people walking by, unaware of the stares and only interrupted briefly when Nagisa and Rei caught up. Leaving bags of snacks on the bench beside them before leaving to go home, without saying anything to the two embraced lovers.

Eventually they gathered up the bags, and walked hand in hand to Makoto's home as the sun began to set.


	16. Epilogue: Together

"Haru, are you ready?" Makoto asked making his way to the kitchen. The house was quiet. His parents had taken the twins to the park, the house was quiet and strange, as if his absence and time had warped everything. Haru carefully closed the lid to the basket and slid it onto his arm, reaching out to grab a big colorful bag but Makoto beat him to it, their fingers brushing momentarily.

"As much as I can be, but you are here which makes everything better," Haru smiled, leaning up and kissing Makoto on the cheek before heading to the door.

"What did you make?" Makoto asked rushing after him, lifting the lid of the basket.

"It's a surprise," Haru said swatting away his hand, then taking it in his own, firmly and easily holding Makoto's hand.

"Are you a little excited?" Makoto asked.

"For certain things, yes. Everything, no. But it's getting better."

"Let me know if we need to go home."

"I will, but I'm hoping I won't. It's been long enough that I hope I can handle it."

"Of course, I'll let you know if I need to go home though, deal?"

Haru glanced at Makoto with worry and felt the reassuring squeeze of his hand, "Makoto, are you-"

"Deal?"

Makoto was smiling.

Haru sighed, "Deal," he said, trying not to smile.

They walked along the beach until Haru stopped.

"Here?" Makoto asked shifting the bag down his shoulder.

"Here," Haru said.

Makoto pulled out a blanket and laid it out on the sand and sat down. Haru sat next to him. Makoto looked around at the empty beach and up at the park behind them with a confused look on his face.

"Are we-"

"Makoto" Haru interrupted, kissing him. He pushed the basket behind them, moving to close the space between them.

Makoto shut his eyes, falling back onto the blanket with Haru, enjoying the peace and warmth and letting his questions and concerns fade away.

"Oh get a room will you."

Makoto's eyes opened in panic and he flushed red hearing footsteps in the sand. Haru pretended not to take notice but Makoto felt him stiffen and the kiss changed from gentle to possessive, which only succeeded in leaving Makoto breathless, lightheaded, and thankful he was lying on the ground.

"What a look. Hey we're not early, we're on time. This is the time we agreed on."

Haru pulled away, ever so slightly from Makoto, to look up at the figures standing in the sand. Makoto took the moment to catch his breath before looking back at them since Haru hadn't moved to let him up.

"Hello," Makoto managed surprised to find himself looking into purple eyes that had a mischievous glint in them.

"Hello Makoto, it's been too long."

"Wasn't long enough," came the disgruntled murmur of Haru who had sat up on Makoto to get away from Kisumi and tried to swat him away when Kisumi kissed Makoto's nose. Kisumi just stood back out of the way and laughed.

"Where's everyone else?" Makoto asked.

"We haven't seen them yet," Hayato said carefully sitting on the blanket with Makoto and Haru, out of Haru's reach.

"How have you been?" Makoto asked carefully sitting up, Haru wrapping his arms around him and watching Kisumi over his shoulder.

"Good. Kisumi's shown me all over, oh I brought you things," Hayato said digging into his bag and pulling out packages.

"Aw thank you Hayato," Makoto said.

"We got things for you too Haru," Hayato said, handing a package to Haru who looked surprised.

"It's apparently very easy to travel the world if you live in a magical underground house and can just pop out wherever you want," Hayato explained with a smile as Kisumi sat next to him.

"Where all did you go?" Makoto asked pulling out cute fish shaped tea bags from one of the boxes.

"Everywhere," Hayato said, eyes shinning. "We got so many photos. In some places, we'd stop to take photos and people would come to get photos with us because we stood out with our hair."

"It was interesting to travel safely and not have things thrown at me," Kisumi said taking one of the drinks Hayato handed him.

"What have you been up to?" Hayato asked.

"School. My first year is over, it was pretty stressful but fun. We moved to the city," Makoto said.

"How's your family?" Kisumi asked.

"Good, we couldn't do anything the first week or so we came back for break, they wouldn't let us out of their sight, but now I think they're getting more use to it. We call home a lot. You wouldn't believe how big Ren and Ran have gotten."

Haru shifted in Makoto's lap, turning so he was facing Kisumi and Hayato.

"Thank you," Haru said softly, glancing up from the box he'd opened.

Makoto looked and saw a blooming bonsai cherry tree, bright pink.

"Is it the same one?" Makoto asked, taking in the look on Haru's face.

Haru nodded.

"It was nothing," Kisumi said.

"We found the tree, nature's taken over the whole area, but the tree still stands, so we got a part of it and have spent a year or so coaxing it into a bonsai, so you can always have it with you," Hayato said ignoring the look Kisumi gave him.

Haru carefully covered the box and set it aside.

"I found them! Hurry up you're too slow!"

Makoto looked and saw Gou running towards them waving. Behind her was Rin and Sosuke, both carrying heavy bags and a large umbrella. Gou threw herself onto the blanket pulling Makoto into a hug.

"It's so nice to see you in person. Your e-mails have been so helpful. I've been passing my classes thanks to you. Who knew the internet was so useful but treacherous?"

Makoto laughed, "It's nice to see you too Gou."

There was a groan and they looked up to see Sosuke and Rin drop everything onto the sand.

"Gou!"

"What?" Gou asked feigning ignorance.

"You asked us to hold these while you went to get something and then you just ran off!"

"And I can't believe you fell for it," Gou said laughing.

Sosuke sighed and pulled out another blanket and spread it out on the sand before falling back on it.

"We parked too far away," Rin said falling back onto it too.

"Magic everything back next time?" Sosuke suggested.

"Oh yes," Rin said.

"You'd think with all their nomadic wanderings at this point they'd be in much better shape, but I really think they've just gotten lazier. I'm glad you seem to still be in shape Makoto," Gou said taking some lemonade offered to her by Hayato and eyeing Makoto with a sigh until she caught Haru's gaze and felt a kick from from Rin.

"Hey," she said turning to face him.

"You're drooling," Rin said catching the drinks tossed to him and passing one to Sosuke.

Gou rubbed at her mouth, then glared at her brother, "No I'm not! You're lying!"

"You weren't sure though," Rin laughed.

"Well since everyone is here whose coming," Makoto started pulling out paper from his bag. "I went ahead and got us passes for the park, so I figure we'll start the day there and then work our way back here. What should we do about our stuff? Surely the beach will get busier as the day goes, it's a pretty hot day."

"Leave it," Sosuke said sitting up. "No ones coming to this beach today."

"How are you so sure?"

"Magic," Sosuke said wiggling his fingers.

"Okay, then let's go to the park," Makoto said passing out the admission tickets, barely had the last one left his finger tips then Haru had grabbed his hand and taken off towards the park.

"Haru!" Makoto said in surprise, partially concerned, but he saw the sparkle in Haru's eyes and relaxed. They weren't running away, they were running towards something. Makoto laughed, he could feel the excitement rolling off of Haru as they passed their tickets through to the person working. The park wasn't packed, it was almost empty and Makoto struggled to keep up with Haru, getting his shoes off and in the locker. Haru tossed everything off and into their locker with ease. Makoto barely got it shut before he was dragged into the big pool with Haru. He barely registered the others filtering into the park before he was underwater. Haru smiled at him before diving deeper. Makoto watched him for a moment before swimming to the surface, carefully taking his shirt off which he hadn't managed to get off in time and swimming to the edge of the pool carefully getting out and setting the shirt on an empty chair. He tried to lay it flat so it would dry before heading towards one of the smaller slides. It spit him out in the same pool he'd been and as he came up with a rush of bubbles he found himself face to face with Haru.

"Are you having fun?" Makoto asked.

Haru took Makoto's hand and led him through the water to a river tubing course, he handed Makoto a tube and took one himself. The water moved them faster than Makoto expected, but with his hand in Haru's they weren't separated.

"Yes," Haru said, "I wish there was one of these in the city."

"Are you okay that everyone came with us?"

"I was okay when we came with Rei and Nagisa after your graduation."

"True, just checking."

"It's not a place I need to keep to myself. There are only a few things or places that I want to keep all to myself," Haru had a look in his eyes that made Makoto blush. "I know you've been wanting to catch up with them. So don't worry about me. I'm sure I can handle this. I'm curious myself." Haru moved so he could lean over their tubes, pulling Makoto's closer and kissing him gently. "and if not I know this place very well and know the best places to hide, and I'm sure you'll be able to find me easily."

Makoto smiled kissing him back. "Let me know."

"Of course," Haru said.

Haru let go of Makoto's hand and disappeared out of his tube and popped up next to Makoto, pulling himself up and looking down at him with a frown.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm thinking I missed an opportunity," Haru said leaning down and gently biting his neck. "Love bites would have shown up wonderfully in this situation."

"Haru!" Makoto said pushing him away.

Haru laughed stealing a kiss then swimming away.

Makoto made it to the end of the course and returned his tube and waited to catch Haru's to return it as well before making his way to a drink stand. He found Sosuke sitting with a tropical drink that had a little pink umbrella in it. Makoto sat with him, getting a glass of water.

"Where is Rin?"

"Off with Gou. They're still catching up."

"Has it been awhile?"

"She refused to answer any of his calls or messages for many months while we traveled. Then her responses have been kinda sporadic since. After having her in the room next to his for a couple centuries it's been a bit hard on him."

"Haven't you been busy yourselves?"

"Of course."

"Has it been going well?"

"Better than I ever thought it could be. I'm assuming you and Haru are doing well."

"Yes. I think we're healing well. It's good to hear that you and Rin are as well."

"Has Haru mentioned anything about the star fruit recently?" Sosuke asked.

"Uh, no."

"Don't mention it to him, forget I asked," Sosuke said sipping his drink.

"Okay. Have fun Sosuke," Makoto said finishing his water and getting up.

"I will. Hey, Makoto?"

Makoto turned back, "Yeah Sosuke?"

"Thank you."

Makoto smiled, "My pleasure."

Makoto made his way down the path towards some of the water slides when he heard running feet on the stone and felt arms hook in his.

"Let's go on the big one," Kisumi said on one side, smiling at him.

"Yes! It looks like a lot of fun, you have to come with us Makoto!" Hayato said.

"It doesn't look like I can say no. You'd just carry me off to it wouldn't you?" Makoto asked looking at Kisumi.

"What? Me? Never!" Kisumi said with mock hurt in his voice but his eyes had a look that confirmed Makoto's thought.

"Is that a yes?" Hayato asked.

"Sure."

Makoto found himself between them as they made their way up the path to the top.

"How have you been settling in?" Makoto asked Hayato.

"It's been good. It's so good to be home and with my pets. I never expected them to be so big. But they're so helpful and Kisumi taught them so much. I've decided to be vegetarian too. It's a little difficult for me but Kisumi is such a good cook and so is Sir Huntley Willington the third and Pufflebum that it's sometimes really easy," Hayato said with a smile before jumping into the slide with a shriek of joy.

"How are you Kisumi?" Makoto said turning.

"Better. It's nice to have him back," Kisumi said softly before pushing Makoto down the slide and jumping in after.

Makoto came up and quickly swam out of the way hearing Kisumi coming down after him. Hayato was grinning as he made his way out of the pool and ran off to take it again.

Makoto stood in the shallow and felt arms wrap around him and pull him into a hug. "I've missed you," Kisumi said softly, "You seem well and that makes me happy."

Makoto turned to him but Kisumi let go, smiled at him and then headed after Hayato, telling him not to run.

"Found you!" Gou said holding out a hand to him, "Play water volley ball with us."

Makoto watched Kisumi leave but turned and nodded and got out of the water. Gou stared and Rin elbowed her, then turned and ran as she growled and chased after him. They ran to the pool with the net.

The game lasted longer than Makoto realized. The light streaming in through the glass had shifted, Hayato and Kisumi had joined after awhile and he hadn't noticed Haru watching from the pool next to theirs, leaning over, until he cheered when Makoto got a point. Despite the uneven teams they managed to coax Haru into the game. He just switched teams every couple of matches. When they finally left the park and headed down the beach Makoto glanced over at Haru who was smiling, listening to Rin. Haru seemed to sense Makoto looking at him and slid his hand into Makoto's.

"I'm starving," Gou said.

The beach was empty, just as Sosuke had promised. Their things were right where they'd left them. The sun was lowering in the sky as they sat on the blankets, the umbrellas angled just right to protect them from the glare of the sun on the water. Haru opened the basket, swatting away hands that reached out to try and help him. He sat out sandwiches, spiced mackerel with beetroot salsa on what looked like a hard bread, a potato and watercress salad with mackerel, risotto with mackerel, penne with leek and mackerel. Makoto watched with amusement as each item was pulled carefully out of the basket, looking different and if he hadn't been aware of Haru's affinity towards mackerel he wouldn't have otherwise noticed the theme. A small dip was set out with vegetables and as everyone else dug into the food Makoto picked a slice of celery and waiting to see the reactions, if anyone noticed that everything they were eating was mackerel. He dipped the celery and took a bite, coughing in surprise, recognizing the smoked fish taste. Haru glanced up, caught his expression and smirked.

"Everything?" Makoto asked.

"Everything," Haru smiled.

Living with Haru meant that at least one meal a day was mackerel if not more. Makoto had had mackerel in all it's forms, Haru managed to even sneak it into Makoto's green curry. If there was one food in all of the world that Makoto now knew the taste of immediately no matter how unrecognizable or hidden it was, it was mackerel. Makoto took the plate from Haru letting the conversation wash over him. It'd been over a year since he'd seen any of them.

Gou had e-mailed him often with basic questions, like:

"How do I do laundry without magic? I can't use magic right? The other girls will freak, right?"

or

"How do you remove stains?"

"Why is it so cold?"

"What is a thermostat? How do you turn on a thermostat?"

"Ummm this is my microwave" with a photo attached of charred broken plastic remains.

"How do you boil an egg?"

"How long does it take water to boil?"

"What do you mean I can't watch it? Is it cursed? Will it kill me if I watch it? Omg I just looked at it what do I do?"

"How do you solve for x?"

"How can you tell a watermelon is ripe?What about kiwi? Persimmons?"

"Hey, thanks. Rin didn't think I could do this, so thanks for being there." It came with an attachment of Gou's grades. Straight A's.

Haru, who'd read over every message with Makoto printed it out and stuck it on their fridge with the art Ren and Ran made and letters they'd written them and photos from Makoto's graduation, their first double date with Nagisa and Rin. Memories compiled under fish shaped magnets and one shelter adoption magnet that had a black cat on it that stated "Change your life with love, adopt a cat today." Makoto had seen it at a local fair and bought it, when Haru asked why Makoto grinned, wrapped an arm around him and said, "Because it's true, I took in a cat and it changed my life and filled it with love." Haru rolled his eyes, but always stuck his favorite things under the magnets, it was currently a photo-booth strip of Makoto and Haru from a school festival that Ren and Ran had come to. They posed with Makoto and Haru for one photo before they ran off, Haru and Makoto were laughing in the next, then looked at one another forehead to forehead smiling, and the last was a kiss. Lost in their own world, forgetting about the photos being taken.

Kisumi had only sent one photo, a selfie that was more of a proud brother photo as Hayato snowboarded in the background. Haru said it was probably an accident since none of Makoto's texts in response seemed to get delivered but Makoto found it on the fridge, partially hidden behind a take out menu. They didn't hear from Rin or Sosuke at all.

The time had passed incredibly quiet. Like snowy winter days where the snow falls slowly and the flakes are huge and pile high but you're inside warm and cozy. Makoto would go to school, attend his classes, go to his part time job at a local pool that Haru also worked at and then they'd go home together. Something in Makoto had changed he felt comfortable and more at peace. He wasn't alone anymore and might never be again. He still worried, about the future, nightmares of the past, tests, but he did his best to just enjoy the things around him, enjoy having Haru at his side.

The sun was sinking and Rin was explaining how he'd lost Sosuke in a mall and had to go up to the front desk and explain that he'd lost a child, an overgrown child and a nice lady who worked at the lingerie store found him and walked him back to Rin.

"They must have really hit it off or everyone thought he was a really big kid because he showed up at the guest help desk with a balloon tied to his wrist, a smoothie in one hand, a stuffed shark under one arm, cookies and more sparkly lotion then I ever expected to use up," Rin said with a laugh before digging into his pocket to pull out his phone. "I even got a picture," he said flipping through the phone and passing it around, his skin sparkled. Makoto smiled when he saw the picture. The lady was holding Sosuke's hand, she was so much smaller than him but smiling, the balloon bobbed behind him, a red heart.

"We magicked the balloon, it now kinda haunts the house, drifting through rooms on the slightest breeze. It's given me a couple late night heart attacks, Sosuke too."

Sosuke nodded, "It seems to always know to be right behind you when you least expect it, getting midnight snacks in the dark from the fridge, showering. We may have given it sentience on accident."

"You didn't magic the shark did you?" Hayato asked.

"Oh no. It just sits on our bed with our other ones."

Haru cleared away the plates and pulled out cups that he carefully went about filling. In the diminishing light Makoto couldn't make out what he was doing. Eventually he stopped trying and the conversation came to a natural lull. But as it grew Makoto felt an expectation as he looked around, everyone was looking at Haru, waiting. Panic welled up, he wondered if Haru knew, if there'd been some sort of miscommunication, if they'd expected something more from Haru then he could give. But Haru looked up and even in the lack of light Makoto could see his smile, a simple reassuring smile.

"I've lived for a very long time. We all have, well, most of us, in different ways. I didn't know what I wanted from life, I wanted it to end, it was a swerving twisting and turning road. And it'll continue. Magic courses through my veins and through most of yours. We will live forever. Even though the curse has been lifted," Haru noticed Makoto stiffen out of the corner of his eyes. Makoto had never mentioned it but he'd feel Makoto's searching eyes, looking for any change in Haru since the first time he'd seen him. Something to show the passages of time. It hurt Makoto to realize his promise to stay with Haru had an expiration and that one day, hopefully far far in the future he would leave Haru alone.

That there was no control over it. Makoto had never asked, never contacted anyone to become immortal. But Haru watched him, watched him take care in what he ate, take care to stay healthy, to work out more then he had as the realization dawned on him that he alone would age and one day would be so much older than Haru. It broke Haru's heart and he knew it broke Makoto's.

The thought that if life was kind and old age took Makoto one day in the future the nurses would ask if he was Haru's grandfather, rather than lover. That maybe one day while Haru still swam every day Makoto might be too weak to join him. That Makoto would smile at him with a face wrinkled from a lifetime of smiles and laughter and tell him he didn't have to stay, knowing how hard it was to watch him fade away, the light flicker from his eyes and it'd be okay if he left. And eventually it'd be more pressured, an uncomfortableness of having someone living watch you die. Someone who'd shared that lifetime of smiles and laughter but didn't have the wrinkles to show it. Or worse, if all the memories they collected were eaten away by disease. One at a time until they reached a point where Makoto smiled at him, and hummed, and they were introduced time and time again.

The future was unknown and the possibilities were endless. And the time Makoto was at school Haru would find himself alone and thinking about the vast unknown before them and the eventual pain. He knew one day Makoto would inevitably ask why. Why when they both new the inevitable outcome why Haru stayed. Just like Haru knew why Makoto would never asked for magic to keep him the same and alive forever. Love. Makoto couldn't stand the thought of watching not only his parents die but Ren and Ran grow old and eventually die too, and all his friends. He didn't want to outlive everyone he ever met. Haru would rather spend all of Makoto's life time together than give up the chance just to protect himself from an end and pain. And Haru had never confirmed Makoto's fears that Haru wouldn't age until now and he'd practiced it a million ways.

"Magic has changed our lives yet given us many gifts. I've learned so many lessons and more about myself than I ever would have on the path destined for me. I got to see the world through different perspectives and I know I'm not alone."

He picked up the glasses and passed them out. Everyone held them in their hands but no one drank. Waiting. Makoto looked at the star fruit.

Haru picked up a box from nearby and gingerly pulled out the cherry bonsai and set it in the middle of the blanket. "The Captain long long long ago went on a journey and brought back these weird pods. She sat with me under the cherry tree and told me it's human nature to feel small and lost. The world is huge, and if all the stars in the sky are other worlds then we are much smaller than we can even fathom, and sometimes we feel that way. She said all over the world everyone looks up at the stars. We use them to navigate, to feel a connection, and to ponder the mysteries of life. There are so many stories about how they connect everyone, so many tales of stars being the people we have lost in our lives, ancestors, loved ones, their silence is taken for wisdom and watching.

""But don't you think that'd be boring?" She took the pod from me and chopped it up, pulling out a slice the shape of a star much to my surprise, "To be a star, watching everything going on below, all of life as just one huge tragedy unable to do anything? It's why we grow old, it's why we age, why we are not timeless. The world is a tragedy if you stay still too long and watch everything die. The world is made up of stars, but these stars, the fallen ones, they live. We live. We are made up of the stars not scared to live and so we do. And this carambola, magic of the universe and wisdom of the stars gives us life, to do what the brave do, and that's to live our lives for as long as we have, stepping forever forward into the unknown," Haru smiled softly at the glass and turned to Makoto, reaching out and taking his hand.

"I have no fear of life, or living, or the future. I have no fear of you growing old, because I want nothing more than to be by your side forever, and if by chance the I can be by you even longer, as ghosts, as spirits, as stars in the sky, then I will be blessed beyond compare. Until I met you I barely lived or didn't want to. But now it's all I want to do. Dumb things I never would have dreamed of before. I want to spend winter nights curled up with you on the couch falling asleep to movies, pick out flowers together, read books in comfortable silence under the same blanket, try new foods, see more of the world, settle into a house or apartment, build a garden, have cats that run around wildly, maybe adopt a kid, grow old. And someday, I want some one, with a vague memory of us, some friend of a friend's kid who played at our house with our cats, to stop with their elderly parent and smile laying down flowers for us, side by side. I'm not scared to grow old or die, I never have been. I've just never been scared to live forever until now, " Haru smiled , watching tears run silently down Makoto's cheeks, not noticing his own.

Kisumi sniffed. "We've all been alive too long. Makoto," Kisumi took Makoto's free hand and gave it a squeeze. "Haru didn't tell you why he planned this. We're not giving up magic altogether, but we've decided it's time to move on."

"With life," Rin said.

"Can you? Is it even possible?" Makoto managed.

Sosuke chuckled. "Yeah. it took some work, but we got everything we needed over the past couple of months."

Hayato pulled out a colorful cloth bag and handed it to Sosuke who took a vial from Rin and mixed them together and leanned forward to add drops to everyones drinks except Makoto's.

"But, you'll die." Makoto murmured, stunned as the drops reacted to give the drinks and sparkled.

"Eventually," Gou said with short laugh, "But so does everyone and everything else, so why shouldn't we?"

"Like Haru, we're tired of watching the world change without us. Of children growing old and aging and living in the shadows. We can have real lives this way."

"Plus if we change our minds we've still got our magic," Kisumi said winking at Makoto.

"Cheers," Hayato said holding out his glass.

"Cheers," came a chorus and a clink of glasses, then a pause. They turned to look at Makoto who was staring at them in the moonlight, dumfounded and emotionally paralyzed. Kisumi had let go of his hand, but Haru gave his other a gentle squeeze. They were smiling at him, gently, reassuring, as if they weren't giving up something that other people would kill for. Makoto's world was changing, his perceptions of the future couldn't be the same. He had expected that they would be constant, these magical beings before him, to live throughout the world barely within his comprehension. But they were giving it up and his immediate thought was on their deaths and he couldn't stop crying.

"Makoto. We're not going to die right now. Just eventually. We're going to have to finish living first," Rin said gently.

Makoto nodded, sniffed, feeling the comfort of Haru rubbing his hand. He picked up his glass and carefully clanked his glass against theirs, "Cheers, may you live happy and long lives."

"You as well Makoto. Full lives," Haru said with a smile.

Makoto took a sip but watched them carefully over his glass. They seemed fine. There wasn't a big explosion or change.

"How will you know it worked?"

"We'll age," Hayato said.

"We'll age together," Haru said softly kissing Makoto gently on the cheek.

Makoto smiled softly, imagining their fridge, the photos throughout the ages that Haru would put on it. Photos at weddings, maybe their wedding, Ren and Ran growing older, kids maybe theirs or not, trips, cats. A life where the photos didn't stop, where Haru didn't just stop growing while Makoto continued to. A life together, for as long as it lasted. They drained their cups, and Haru moved closer to Makoto, slipping his arm around Makoto and kissing him gently. Conversation picked up and laughter echoed the empty beach. Makoto felt himself fall back onto the blanket, on the edge, hair spilling into the sand, Haru propped up on him, a cat habit that would probably never leave, and looked down with him, eyes full of emotion.

"Race you in the water," Hayato said and there was a shuffle of feet on the sand and Makoto heard shrieks of laughter and splashes of water. Haru had turned towards the ocean, visibily torn between wanting to be in the water and finally having time alone with Makoto. Makoto laughed pulling Haru down to him and kissing him. "Go," he said, "We have the rest of our lives."

Haru smiled, kissed him back, a deep passionate kiss that left him dizzy before he got up and ran to the water. Makoto watched them splashing around in the moonlight and smiled to himself, and breathed deeply and felt something in him loosen and melt away.

"Come on Makoto!"

"Yeah with all of us here, you're going nowhere!"

"Perfectly safe, we won't go too far in the water."

Makoto smiled and got up, ran a hand through his hair shaking out sand and ran off down the beach to the ocean, to his friends, and to Haru, who waited with a smile, ready for a long life of memories ahead of them, together.

* * *

Author Note: Thank you. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! May 2016 be a wonderful adventure for you! 3


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